Chaotic Exception
by Lightningthesky
Summary: After being freed from her own stasis, Vanille is lost after learning Lightning has been crystallized. Now, as chaos threatens to destroy what Lightning worked hard to protect, it's up to Vanille and the others to stop it. What will happen when unlikely feelings become unavoidable?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any settings, characters, etc.; all rights and property goes to Square Enix**

_Needed to start with Serah, but don't freak this is a Lanille story; it'll switch to L/V POV ASAP!_

Noel's hand grasped hers firmly as she glided down onto the aircraft. She took a glance skywards and saw the last of the time gates close, ending their journey. Her gaze descended slightly to set on the large sphere in the sky. Bhunelevize stood out against the early morning sky, the start to a new dawn. Serah smiled, they had actually did it. Who would've thought that she would be able to save the world from chaos with the help of someone from a world that no longer existed. She looked at Noel to find his light blue eyes settled on her, concern evident across his face.

"How are you feeling Serah, no visions or anything?"

Serah shook her head and looked around again, "Nope, I feel great actually."

She watched as he let out a sigh of relief and couldn't help but feel that she owed him so much. He didn't know her, didn't know her sister. No, all he knew was what Lightning had told him and he went with that. He was so desperate just to escape his barren world, so desperate to end his Yeul's suffering. She would never be able to repay her debt to him, for helping her save her sister and be reunited with her and Snow.

_Lightning, after so long I'll finally be able to see you again. . it's funny, now that I think about it, I don't really know what to say. . All I do know is, I missed my sister._

She shook off a shiver that threatened to shake her very core, chalking it up to being excited to see her family again, "Hey Noel?"

He turned to her, smiling brightly, "Hmm?"

"Thanks."

Then it hit her, a tremor swept through her and rendered her unable to speak. Her vision started to blur and she could faintly hear Noel yelling something at her. She numbly felt his arms wrap around her as her knees failed her and sent her to the ground. This was unlike the other visions she had before, this felt as if she were. . she was dying.

She wanted to fight, wanted to escape the pressure that was threatening to drown her. She wouldn't die after all this, not before she got to see her family again! She tried to focus on anything, but couldn't as her vision went to a startling white. The breath rushed out of her chest and she fell into a dark oblivion after hearing one last yell.

"SERAH!"

xXx

Her senses came back to her slowly, one after another. She could hear a familiar low voice murmuring something, but couldn't quite make it out. Serah clenched her fists, trying to reduce the numbness that had taken over her entire body. Her eyes snapped open and at first she thought something was wrong with her sight. All was a starchy white, blank and endless. She sat up and continued scanning her surrounding, trying to find any clue as to where she was.

The blank slate seemed to go on and on, never ending. She slowly gained her ground and stood up on shaky feet. She could still hear the barely audible voices, but couldn't spot anything in the white existance. Quickly determining that following the voice was her best option, she started in the direction she assumed that it was coming from.

As she walked her concept of time completely alluded her. How long had she been walking? A second, hours, days? She wasn't entirely sure because all of it felt so different. Some steps seemed to take mere moments to complete, while others felt like it was forever before one foot would shift past the other.

She did a quick spin around when the voice had went silent and stopped in her tracks when an all too familiar glare of silver caught her attention. She was running before her mind even processed what she had even saw.

The knight in shining armor kneeled on one knee in front of a wispy silhouette, a hazy blue outlining the figure.

"Lightning", the name had barely escaped her mouth before her sister turned around.

Lightning's eyes widened slightly when her eyes locked with Serah's, "Serah, what. . are you doing here?"

Serah stopped from throwing herself at her sister to ponder the question. _Why am I here? I had a vision and then. . Am I dead?. . If I am, what is Lightning doing here? Better yet, where is 'here'?_

Lightning took Serah's silence as the answer and turned to the hazy figure. Her sister stayed silent for a moment, her own eyes ablaze with Etro's symbol. The golden symbol faded and Lightning shook her head, immediately understanding what Etro was telling her. She nodded to the wispy silhouette and it slowly disapparated.

Lightning took a step towards her, "Serah, you have to leave here now. You can't stay here."

Serah took a step back, "Where is here, Lightning?"

"It's the Void, you need to go back now. Please, Serah, you need to leave. You're not supposed to be here, if you don't leave. . you'll di-Serah, just please.", Lightning said, fear was clear in her voice.

"Then why are you here", she asked quickly.

Lightning's eye twitched, "It's not important Serah. This almost killed you and it will if you don't return now!"

Serah shrugged and crossed her arms, "You really think I'll just leave you here by yourself, come on Light, I've worked too hard to just leave now."

"Serah, when Noel killed Caius he killed the Goddess. Etro was the only thing holding back the chaos", Lightning started.

"_Was_", Serah asked.

"In order to prevent the world from being destroyed I took on Etro's burden. Serah. . I'm crystallized, that's why I'm here."

Lightning glanced around anxiously, "Serah please just go back, I haven't fully stopped the chaos yet, it's still trying to get past. I have to use the powers given to me to keep it at bay. I promise I'll find a way to tell you everything, just go back Serah, please."

Serah swallowed, her throat had gone dry at the pleeing tone of her sister's voice. Could she really leave her here after all this, just to leave her to fight off chaos by herself?

Lightning stepped close and pulled her into a hug, "Please, Serah for me, go back."

"I-I don't know how", she stammered as she felt the cool metal against her skin that Lightning wore.

Lightning pulled away and gave a small smile, "I'll guide you, just close your eyes and I'll do the rest."

She reached out and grasped Lightning's hand, "Wait! Will. . will I see you again?"

She waited for Lightning's answer, expecting for her to say something like one thing at a time, but was surprised when she heard, "As soon as I can, I promise."

She nodded and let her eyes close, enjoying Lightning's warming presence. She felt her mind being lulled back into a dreamless sleep and started to panic.

_"Calm down, you'll wake up", _Lightning's voice echoed in her mind.

She breathed and let her mind wander freely, trusting Lightning completely. Her thoughts halted as she found herself welcoming sleep.

xXx

"I-I just wanted to protect her", a voice hovering over her stammered.

She could feel her body surrounded in a tight embrace as she struggled to return to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open and she was met with Noel's shocked face. She tried a pathetic attempt of a reassuring smile, but it failed as Noel was still looking flabbergasted. She attempted to maneuver out of his grip, only to find him still holding firm.

Serah huffed at her failed escape, "Noel, I'm fine! You can let go now."

Noel let out a laugh and resorted to squeezing her even tighter, "I thought, Serah. . I was worried, oh wow! This is great!"

There was a cough and she finally turned to see Hope looking past the horizon, "I believe it is, the chaos is disappearing slowly."

Her head snapped up, her thoughts immediately going to Lightning, _chaos? Did you keep it back like you promised?. . What about your promise to me?_

The two men had noticed Serah's change of mood as the airship slowly descended, neither willing to be the first to question it. Hope understood that even though Serah wasn't as hotheaded as her sister, if provoked it could still mean serious consequences.

"Lightning did it."

Noel gave her a confused look, urging her forward, "She's not here Noel, she's still in Valhalla. The- the only difference is she's crystal now, keeping back the chaos."

Serah choked back a sob, "She's not coming back, after everything, she's still not coming back! Why couldn't she just- she didn't have to do it alone this time!"

The ship lurched, cutting of her rambling any further. She could feel the prickle of tears in her eyes, but closed them to get rid of the tears. The ship started to float upward, leaving the three on top wondering as to why.

Static over the intercom alerted them to Sazh's voice, "Sorry kids, looks like we have to catch the hero."

Serah glanced upwards to see a portal opened in the sky and a figure free falling from it. She smiled, _I know that figure anywhere. Snow. ._

A loud shout came from the NORA leader as his boots gave off a loud thunk once they came into contact with the hulk of metal. Serah could only breathe a sigh of relief as he ran towards her and engulfed her in a bear hug, spinning her around happily. She laughed as he set her down and got a look at his fluffed up hair. It reminded her of a choboco, a choboco that deserved a good brushing.

Snow kissed her on the forehead gently, "It's about time I get to give you a proper hello. I've missed ya baby. It's gonna be good to just be a family again."

She looked up into her hero's face and he instantly stopped smiling, seeing that she was no longer sharing one. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, trying to push down the fluff.

He scratched the back of his head, "So I guess that wasn't a dream then, Sis said to take care of you while she's out."

Serah gripped his hands at the mention of Lightning, "Was that all?"

Snow hummed as he racked his brain for more of the blurry dream, "She said she was busy for a little bit, so I better take care of you. Oh, she said to tell you sorry. . And- She said to make sure to keep Fang in check and keep an eye out for Vanille too. . but I really don't know what she meant by all that, they're crystal right?"

Serah nodded as Hope and Noel walked forward after giving the engaged couple a minute alone. Snow reached forward and gave Noel a handshake and a gruff, "Thanks." Noel nodded as Snow proceeded to give Hope what she understood to be a "man" hug.

They all shuffled around as the ship shifted after touching the ground, trying to regain their balance. All turned their attention towards the intercom again as it crackled to life.

"Guys, you may want to get down here. . I think Fang and Vanille. .they're waking up", Sazh's voice was filled with uncertainty.

Serah jumped when a breeze cut through her, carrying a voice no more than a whisper, automatically knowing it to be her sister's voice.

_"This is all I can do. .for now. . . I'll make things right, somehow."_

**Author's Note**

Ah, so I finally started writing this after having thoughts about it for weeks. The first few parts is probably going to be from a Vanille or Serah perspective, but obviously I had to do Serah for the first chapter because Vanille wasn't out yet. Eventually it'll turn into a Lightning and Vanille perspective, but I need Serah for now. So I'm just testing the waters with this chapter and if all goes well I'll continue it. Enjoy and review, please! ^.^


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All property and rights goes to those clever peeps at Square Enix.**

Vanille spun around, trying to keep her sights on the yellow butterfly as it fluttered past. She huffed as it ascended to a height that she couldn't reach, even with a jump. She heard a snort behind her and spun around to stare at her fellow Pulsian.

"What's so funny Fang?"

Fang twirled her spear in her hands, inspecting it to make sure it was up to her standards, "Nothin', it's just you're chasin' buggers around."

Vanille clasped her hands behind her back and rocked to and fro on her heels, "At least I do something here; you just sit there with that spear of yours."

"Vanille, we're in a place that came from our own minds! What else do ya expect me ta do, go make friends?", Fang asked as she gestured around them.

She followed her friend's arms and surveyed around them. They were in Oerba, or at least how it was the last time they saw it with their friends. Though, it wasn't exactly Oerba. They both knew this was something their minds had recreated for them to serve out their days in crystal. It would only be real if their friends were actually here and . . they weren't.

_If only they were here. . if _she _was here._

Vanille sighed and Fang's head swiveled to her direction, "What's wrong?"

She shrugged and Fang stood up to approach her, "You thinkin' bout Sunshine 'gain?"

"Fang! Why do ya always say that?", she yelled and could feel her cheeks flaring up.

Fang chuckled as she poked her counterpart while giving an all-knowing smirk, "Ya can't hide somethin' like that from me love. Ya always stared at 'er and agreed with everythin' she said. . . And don't think I didn't notice ya swishin' those hips of yours more when she was behind ya!"

Vanille turned around to avoid more ridicule from her friend and walked off. She waved her arms dramatically as she grumbled, walking through the deserted town. Fang always had to push her buttons when it came to Lightning.

Why was it so crazy if she liked the stoic soldier? She was beautiful, strong, and determined. That combination was surely going to lead to the death of her everytime the soldier had even walked past her. She was always so cool and collected, the stoic soldier never let anything slip. _That's part of the fun, the challenge, _she supposed, _to get her to open up._

"So what if I had a small, tiny . . miniscule!, crush on Light. Who wouldn't, especially with all those flips she does? . .It's not like she felt the same, so why does Fang have ta rub it in?. . Well, I guess she didn't, hard ta tell when she was so focused on saving Serah. Maybe I should've told her or asked something, so I would know and be done with it. Instead I'm stuck in here thinking about it for probably forever!"

She was so insistent to continue her rant, that she didn't notice the flash of light behind her. Only when she heard heavy footsteps behind her did she bring out her rod, intent on at least hitting Fang with it once. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the figure before her, her rod clattering to the ground.

The soldier that wandered her dreams constantly was standing directly in front of her, granted not in her familiar attire, but in silver armor. Lightning stood with one eyebrow arched and a small smile on her face.

Vanille threw up her hands and heaved a sigh, "Oy, great, now I can make people pop up here. It would be nice if was actually the real Lightnin' though!"

"Vanil-", Lightning was cut off as Vanille stepped forward.

"If it was the real Lightnin' I doubt I'd have the courage to actually do anything though", Vanille stopped and then glanced at the 'fake' Lightning as she came to a decision in her mind, "No! No more running! I wouldn't be scared!"

As if to prove her point she grabbed Lightning and pulled the stunned soldier down where she pressed her lips firmly against Lightning's. She felt the soldier stiffen at the contact and then she was surprised when Lightning responded with equal force. Vanille released the soldier to wrap her arms around Lightning's neck to deepen the kiss.

"Well that's not what I was expectin' to find ya doin' Vanille."

Vanille recoiled from Lightning, only afterwards realizing Lightning's arms had previously been encircled around her waist. She pivoted on her heel to see Fang, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

Vanille rolled her eyes after taking a few deep breaths, "Calm down Fang, it's not really Light!"

A cough behind her made her eyes return to the now flustered soldier, "Actually Vanille, it is. . . I mean, I am really me."

Her eyes widened considerably as she tried to piece the facts together, "You're Lightning, then that means. . you an-and I, we just. .Maker!"

A hand clamped down on her shoulder to cease her stuttering as Fang cleared her throat, "We will. . talk. . about _that_ later, for now though, I got ta ask why are ya here Lightnin'?"

Lightning nodded and straightened, her eyes now showing the fiery determination that fueled her actions, "I'm here to wake you two up."

Fang stifled a laugh, "In that getup love? An' how do ya suppose to do that?"

Lightning grunted and shifted her stance to place one hand on her hip. Vanille couldn't help but let her eyes wander over Lightning's armor. She giggled, _Lightning's here ta free us. . kinda like my knight in shining armor._

Lightning's eye twitched at Vanille's giggling, "Aside from hearing you insult my attire, I _am _here to help you two."

Vanille walked up to the soldier, her heart still thumping in her chest from their encounter just moments ago, "How can you do that Light? How are ya even here?"

"The how's not important, but I can do it. . if you trust me, I can send you- _both _of you, back. Well at least 500 years in the future, but everyone's there."

Fang gave a stiff nod as she sauntered up to Lightning, "'Course we trust ya Lightnin', what do ya need us to do."

Lightning beckoned Vanille to come closer and she took both Pulsian's hands into each of her own, "Just make sure Serah's okay for me, alright?"

Vanille nodded and watched as Lightning closed her eyes after steadying her breathing. She wanted to talk to Lightning about what happened, but she had the feeling that there wasn't anymore time. The feeling was gnawing at her heart was that Lightning wouldn't be accompanying them. She reached up on her toes and kissed Lightning's cheek. She pulled back when Lightning's eyes opened, the familiar golden glow of Etro's symbol flaring to life in her eyes.

"Light?", she said as she reached to cup the soldier's face.

A hand stopped her as she turned to see Fang shaking her head, "Leave 'er be Vanille, let her concentrate."

Lightning's grip on their hand tightened as she finally urged the remaining energy she could spare into the two to wake from their slumber. Vanille fought the instinct to withdraw her hand from the onslaught of power and kept the grip firm. She shook her head as the town around her started to blur. Fang seemed to be in the same situation as she steeled her resolve to stay awake.

"Let it go, the others will be waiting", Lightning said, her voice layered with the power of Etro.

Vanille nodded and tried to follow Lightning's order, finding that the deserted town was starting to dissolve in front of her very eyes. She noticed that Lightning was also becoming but a haze as a new surrounding started to unfold.

Lightning gave another soft smile and guided her forward, hoping that she would once again be able to see the perky little redhead.

Vanille blinked and all of Oerba, including Lightning, was gone. It was replaced by the inside of a ship's hull, more like the floor of the ship's hull. A hand gripped her arm and hauled her up on two unsteady feet. She looked up to see Fang already clapping Snow on the back and laughing with the large man. A blur of pink was all she saw before she was engulfed in an embrace by the younger Farron.

"Maker, Serah!"

The pinkette didn't say anything for a moment and then pulled away, "Did you see her?"

Vanille didn't have to question who 'her' was, she knew, "Yep! Don't worry Serah, whatever's happened, we can fix it!"

"Yeah. .we'll figure something out, I'm sure."

Vanille pursed her lips, unhappy with Serah's response, "Y'know Serah, she won't just up and leave us, she'll come back. . with or without our help! Until then, just try and focus on happier days, yeah?"

Serah gave a quick nod and smiled, "I will, thanks Vanille. I'm sure she won't leave _us_ behind right?"

Vanille stepped back and raised her hands up, "I-I didn't mean u-us! I meant she wouldn't leave you!"

"I guess you'll tell me when you want, or I'll get it out of Sis, either way I'll find out what's up with you two", Serah said with a wink.

Vanille blushed fiercely at the younger Farron, _There's nothing up with Lightning and I_

_. . or is there?_

xXx

Lightning stared at the spot where Vanille and Fang had been just moments ago. She swallowed thickly, her throat had become insanely dry for some reason. She assumed it had something to do with Vanille's and her kiss.

She touched her lips and could feel her cheeks heating up. _Why the hell did I do that?_

When she had slipped into Vanille's and Fang's dream world, she had popped up on the little Pulsian ranting about her feelings. Feelings that were about her. She had stayed quiet for a moment and finally summoned up enough courage to approach the redhead. Then she was accused of being some kind of illusion?

Lightning bit her lip, thinking about what happened after that. She had kissed Vanille back and then Fang had walked up on them. She mentally slapped herself, _That was inappropriate._

But it had felt so. . _good_. During their focus there wasn't anytime to act on any feelings she had been harboring for the youngest Pulsian. She didn't quite know what made her attracted to the Pulsian. Her actions and her overly positive outlook on life was so opposite to her, it didn't make sense. But that was exactly what made her think of the rod wielder as, dare she think, _cute_.

Lightning shook her head, feeling the dizziness of her energy being drained from her. It was time to return into her own stasis, one that she knew would come to last for awhile. She wasn't bothered by it though; now all of her family was together and safe. Lightning hummed quietly, at least she had something pretty damn great to dream about. She doubted that this feeling would go away, it was here to last.

**Author's Note**

XD so thanks for the reviews (I was gonna wait to update untill I got 5, but 4's enough!). This chapter was a bit harder to write; I'v never written from Vanille's view, ever ^.^ So apologies if I didn't get it quite right! So I hope ya enjoy and review, please!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: As always all rights, property, etc. goes to Square Enix! **

Lightning stood, watching the shining water that lay beside New Bodhum. She wondered why this environment was what her crystal stasis took on. She had never been here much, if anything she was expecting her stasis to recreate Valhalla because of all the time she had spent there.

She let out a bitter laugh, _Time is but a word now._ She chose to think of it as existance now after the time spent at Valhalla was all that it was. Existance. Lightning had no clue as to her actual age anymore; Valhalla's time flucuated, it would be impossible to determine how much time she actually spent there. She didn't feel much older physically, mentally was a whole other issue.

She bent down and examined her appearance in the reflection the water gave off. She didn't see anything that looked different. Tilting her head downward, she noticed her hair did give off more of a dull silvery pink than it's usually light pink. She shrugged, _Valhalla wasn't too bright for my hair to stay that light. _Satisfied with her findings, she resumed her stance of looking at the water. All she knew was that it had been three years since she had vanished according to Serah.

_Serah_.

Maybe that's why she was here, it was where her little sister had lived on without her. It was proof that Serah had grown up. Lightning placed one hand on her hip, guilt rising up in her heart, _She took care of herself just fine. Tch, better job than I could've done._ She shook her head, she would have to repair the family she had lost.

Lightning flinched at her own thoughts, thinking about family made her thoughts lead straight to Vanille. Buring her head in her hands, she tried to stop the onslaught of feelings that one name could bring onto her. Lightning sighed at the emotions running rampid through her, _So much from my training, I can't even control a simple attraction._

She swallowed thickly, should she even try? Serah had always urged her to try and venture out in that. . . _aspect. _But she had never found herself feeling this level of emotion towards anyone, she had burnt it into her mind that it was automatically a weakness. That mindset was demolished by Vanille.

Vanille was different. . _Somehow, _she just couldn't put her finger on it. Lightning huffed, Vanille made her want to engage those little affections that made her head spin. She absolutely despied and loved it at the same time. It gave her such a better understanding of why Snow had chased after Serah for so long, even as a L'Cie. It made her want to do everything in her power to make sure Vanille was protected and happy. If that meant she was the one to ensure that, well, she wouldn't say no.

Lightning nodded as she reached a conclusion to her thoughts. It wouldn't be so bad to have someone like _that._ Lightning winced, if she was going to be with Vanille . . then she was sure Fang was going to have some choice words for her.

xXx

Vanille placed her elbow on the table and propped up her chin with it while listening to Hope's findings. After the initial shock of them returning, they all knew what was next on the agenda: Get Lightning back. Hope was supposed to try and formulate a plan, meaning something better than Snow's idea of charging to Valhalla with guns blazing.

Hope's hand was a blur as he skimmed over the projection in front of them. It was a recreation of Valhalla, including all the information they could gather from the little moogle. The creature's name, she had learned from Serah, was called Mog. She couldn't begin to understand how Lightning found a creature that not only could turn into a weapon of sorts, but also still be able to travel the timeline even with the gates closed.

They all had went silent when Hope had hooked up the moogle to his machines in order to project what Mog had saw after going to Valhalla. The entire atmosphere of the the display was dark, tendrils of chaos still dimming the sky. The castle in which the throne lay was destroyed. Above the throne was no longer a roof, just the crumbled outer edges was all that remained of one. The throne was extravagent, lines etched into random patterns that gave off an elegance. That wasn't what made them all fall still though; it was what was centered on the seat that made them go rigid. Encased in crystal sat Lightning, her ever on hand weapon sitting faithfully in her lap. Her head was tossed sideways, as if refusing to look onward while she stayed trapped in a frozen existence.

Vanille placed the back of her hand over her mouth to cover up anything that could betray her emotions. She could hear Serah sniffling somewhere to her right, but she didn't need to join the younger Farron. It would only serve to upset her more and that's not what Lightning would have wanted.

Still, she couldn't keep from staring at the image displayed in front of her. It was crushing her. Lightning was crystallized, again, and this time it would take a lot more than just a simple, "Wake up." Lightning had chosen to do this, chosen to keep back the darkness that threatened to consume them all.

Vanille watched Hope's response to what they all saw, but didn't want to believe. His eyes narrowed at first and then a sigh accompanied his shoulders slumping, "Guys. . "

He didn't need to wait for the others to quiet down, no one had been able to form any words to describe the sight. Hope clenched his jaw and tried to draw in what he could from the image. He pointed to wisps of chaos present, tapping his finger on it for a moment before turning back to look at them.

"Serah said Lightning's using her energy to keep back the chaos, evidently it doesn't look like it's enough to fully cleanse Valhalla of it's presence. Look at the chaos still flowing freely,the most Lightning can do is keep it from completely ruining the timeline. . . How long, I'm unsure", Hope said in utter defeat.

She couldn't take it, it sounded like he didn't know what to do and that was final, "Hope, there's something we can do to help, right?"

Hope shifted his jaw back in forth, "There's plenty we could do, but none that I can think of that would work permanently except one and that would be a maybe."

"Well then let's try it kid! We have to be the heroes and go rescue sis", Snow said as he leapt to his feet.

Irritation crossed Hope's features, "You can't just jump into this Snow, it would be difficult and more than dangerous. I'm not even sure we can do it."

Serah stood beside Snow, her voice gentle to persuade Hope into calming down, "Hope, can you explain what you're suggesting we do? I'm not sure about the others, but I'm going to save my sister. No matter what the dangers, I'm getting Lightning back."

Vanille nodded vigorously, ignoring the amused look on Fang's face, "Hope you remember what Light said 'it's not a question of can or can't, something's you just _do_.'"

She could see the recognition in Hope's eyes from his former mentor's words and gave a curt nod, "Right. Well before we knew of Cocoon's inevitable falling, again, I was trying to come up with a way to free Vanille and Fang from stasis. I realized that it was both of yours power keeping the crystal strong and had found a way to recreate that power to substitute it with, once you two were removed from the crystal."

They waited for Hope to continue as his hand flicked to a different screen, one showing a crystal sphere. She felt the tension in her shoulders, as with all the others, lessen when not faced with the projection of Lightning's crystal in front of them.

"Magic was the answer, as it always is. In order for it to be enough to supply the crystal pillar with, it had to be an insanely large supply of it. The only magic that could be obtained in such a large amount was from Fal'Cie. Similar to when certain monsters are destroyed and Serah can possess their crystal to command them by, a Fal'Cie's crystal can be gathered after killing them", Hope said as he directed their attention to the crystal sphere.

Fang waved her hand, "I'm not followin' ya mate. If that happens when we kill 'em, why didn't we see any after gettin' all of them when we were L'Cie? It would've been a big help if Lightnin' could've commanded some beasties ta help us."

Hope raised an eyebrow, "I doubt Lightning knew of the ability until Etro either informed her or actually gave the power to her. Serah can do it, no doubt, by her connection to her sister and Etro as a seeress."

Fang shrugged and allowed Hope to continue, "After I understood this, we were able to find some crystals from past Fal'Cie. Ones that we destroyed and ones that had passed from some other beings. I believe the crystals I have could be enough to replace Lightning's spot and prevent chaos from reigning. All we would have to do would be to allow the magic to flow from the crystals to the throne."

Vanille tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Then what are you worried about Hope?"

Hope frowned and flicked the projector back to Lightning, "As you can see, not even Lightning with Etro's powers can fully keep back the chaos. The amount of crystals we have now would keep chaos back as much as Lightning is now, giving us a limited amount of time either way. We would need to gather more crystals to even have some amount of hope that it would be able to keep it back permanently."

"What about the Fal'Cie though, I thought there aren't anymore", Noel said, deciding to speak for the first time.

Hope turned to look at the display, "Yes and no. There are still Fal'Cie on Pu- pardon, Gran Pulse, but frankly not many. There's a problem that we can fix though. There is some chaos still free and it's causing paradoxes to occur throughout the timeline, some of these happen to be Fal'Cie being where they don't belong. We taking care of them means we solve paradoxes and get crystals from it."

Sazh spun his pistols around his finger, "So we can free soldier girl and get her help with getting more crystals, or we can go ahead and try to get all those crystals without her while she keeps holdin' it back?"

Vanille perked up at the possibility at getting Lightning back sooner rather than later, "We should get Lightning free, it's not like we don't need her help if we have ta kill more Fal'Cie."

"Yeah, Sunshine is a big help with that. I fight better with her than I do with that oaf over there", Fang said and jabbed a thumb at Snow.

Serah giggled and patted her hero's back, then gave a glance to Hope, "How would we get to Valhalla though, Hope? All the time gates are closed."

Mog flew up into the air and spun, "I can get you there, Kupo!"

Hope nodded slowly, "I can hone onto Mog's powers of time traveling to transport us there, but someone would have to stay back and operate the machine."

"I'll do that kids, I'm getting too old for this anyway. Besides I have to look after Dajh", Sazh said with a grin.

Hope started typing away and waved his hand at them, "Sazh, I'll get Alyssa to help you also. For now get rest, all of you. I need to get the crystals we do have ready to go. We'll hopefully be ready to leave in the morning. It would be best if you stayed on the ship, considering none of you know how to navigate through Bhunivelze."

Vanille scooted out of the chair quickly, happy to have an excuse to get up and around. She slipped out of the room quickly, hoping to avoid any unnecessary conversations. It wasn't needed, as everyone seemed to caught up in their own discussions anyway.

She needed time to think about the one thing that had been at the back of her mind the entire time. _That kiss_, Vanille thought and raised a hand to her lips. Obviously Lightning had been shocked at first, but then. . _Maker! She kissed back!_ Vanille shook her head to try and rid it of the feelings it was awakening in her. She had come to terms with her crush on Lightning, but had never stopped to think if Lightning herself felt the same.

She giggled as she started to skip to the room she and Fang were to share, "Lightning Farron kissed me!"

A tap on her shoulder made her whirl around after somewhat stifling a scream; a squeak still escaped her lips. The pink hair and blue eyes instantly made her think of Lightning, but quickly realized it was Serah. The pinkette had a small smile on her face and one eyebrow raised high, reminding her how Lightning had looked when she saw her in her stasis.

"As glad as I am for now knowing what happened, I doubt sis would be very pleased with you singing that about", Serah said, the amusement in her eyes betraying the serious tone she had taken.

Vanille let out a nervous laugh, "I didn't think anyone was leavin' that room! Seriously, Serah, quit laughing at me!"

The younger Farron had finally lost the willpower not to laugh and was proceeding to laugh until her face was getting a shade of red. Vanille put both hands on her hips and tried to pout at Serah. Seeing the pinkette laugh was good though, considering what was going on with her sister after she had tried so hard to save her. The corners of Vanille's lips twitched upwards until she too was laughing.

"So-so how did that happen?", Serah asked once she finally got her laughter controlled.

"Hmm?"

Serah gave her a look, "How did you get Lightning to kiss you?"

Vanille jumped, "Oh! Well. . It was more like I, well, grabbed her and. .y'know . .then she kissed back."

Serah grinned and clapped her hands, "So you forced my sister to kiss you and it was just your luck she kissed back?"

Vanille clasped her hands together and nodded, "Yep!"

They walked, both giggling, to Vanille's room. Serah grabbed her arm before Vanille could reach for the doorknob, her expression serious again.

"I assume I don't have to warn you if you hurt my sister?", Serah asked, her blue eyes flashing in the low lights.

She looked at the hand on her arm and then back on Serah, "Serah, y'know I wouldn't do anything ta hurt Light."

Serah stared at her for a moment longer and then released her, scratching the back of her head, "Sorry, I just needed to make sure. . It's just I never had to do that before, it's always Lightning threatening Snow."

"That's alright! Ya scared me for a minute there, Serah. But don't worry, I'm sure Fang will give your sister a talkin' to too!", she said, noticing the shine in Serah's eyes.

Serah grinned and shook her head, seeming to be thinking about the past, "Lightning getting talked to about an actual relationship. . I didn't think it would ever happen, well, I'm glad it's you Vanille!"

She gave Serah a quick hug before slipping past her and into her room for the night. She fell onto the bed, feeling exhausted. She shrugged, _I guess it's an after effect from waking up._ She smiled thinking about Serah's last statement. It was almost an honor to be even considered to be in a relationship with the great Lightning Farron. _Hell, the woman's saved the world twice!_ Vanille took a deep breath, she shouldn't get too excited and jump to conclusions. They would have to discuss what they were once Lightning was free. She nodded to herself as she started to close her eyes to go to sleep, _Sit down and talk about it. . yeah, that's an idea.  
_

xXx

_She looked around, trying to gather what she could from her surrounding. She remembered falling asleep, but not waking up. In front of her stood homes, but no one was in sight. She stood at the end of a pier, the waves crashing up on the shore. Where was she?_

_"New Bodhum", a low voice behind her stated._

_She looked over shoulder, knowing who it was and still chose to say the name aloud, "Lightning."_

_The soldier stood in her uniform and walked up behind her until she was pressed against the redhead, "Hmm?"_

_A shiver ran down her back as Lightning's breath tickled the back of her neck and finally could voice her question, "Why are we here?"_

_Lightning hummed, "Well I'm in stasis, you on the other hand are not. I don't know why you're here, but I welcome it."_

_Vanille smiled to herself, Lightning didn't want her to leave. That was at least a good sign, maybe she hadn't been assuming too much earlier. She giggled as she thought about her earlier skipping before Serah had stopped her._

_"No, you weren't assuming too much. . I've come to understand what I feel now. Unbelievable what just a day in stasis will do for your mind", Lightning said, somehow reading her thoughts._

_She turned around and faced the soldier, it was easier for her to talk to her for some reason when she could focus on those blue eyes. Lightning looked down at her, pink rising to her cheeks, causing Vanille to giggle again. _

_She placed her hands on Lightning's shoulders to lean up and kiss the soldier's cheek, "Are you embarrassed Light?"_

_"Tch. No. . I just-", Lightning sighed as she wrapped her arms around the redhead's waist automatically, "I suppose."_

_Vanille poked her nose and then replaced it with a kiss, "Well I think that's cute!"_

_Lightning face got redder as she stuttered, "Vanille! I'm not _cute_!"_

_"I think so, what? Don't you think I'm cute?", she asked._

_Lightning bit her lip and uttered a hush, "Of course, but. ."_

_Lightning stopped and Vanille tightened her grip on her shoulders, "It's time for you to go Vanille."_

_She let her shoulders fall forward, she could feel someone shaking her to wake her up. Lightning gave her a soft smile and nodded. Leaning downward, Lightning pressed her lips against her forehead gently._

_"Be careful and make sure you're safe, I can't do anything in stasis", Lightning said as she straightened back up._

_Vanille could feel herself waking up and took one last glance at the soldier standing on the pier, giving her a salute, "Always! Don't worry Light, be patient alright? We'll safe you this time!"  
_

xXx

She could've sworn that she could still hear the scoff as she woke up.

**Author's Note**

Originally, I hadn't planned on having that beginning part with Lightning. After writing this chapter, I was like this definitely needs a Lightning realization moment XD This was longer than my usual 2000 words (give or take), so I hope ya enjoy it! Read and Review please! More reviews = quicker update; I have three chapters ahead of this already written out, just to give you guys some incentive to review ^.^


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, settings, etc.; nor do I make any sort of profit from this. All rights and property of Square Enix!**

Serah groaned and threw an arm over her face to try and ignore the pestering pokes to her face. She jumped when a poke landed on her side and looked up angrily at her attacker.

Vanille grinned sheepishly, "It's time ta get up Serah and I didn't want to wake up Snow first. I was afraid he would roll onto you. . and I can't imagine that ending well."

"Is it time to go already?", she asked groggily.

Vanille nodded and pulled her into a sitting position, "Hope's all ready to go. He's transferred the magic from all those crystals into some thing, I forgot what he called it."

"Okay, okay", she nodded and turned to her sleeping hero beside her, "Snow, wake up."

After seeing Snow was waking, she got up and followed Vanille to meet up with the others. As much as she loved Snow, it was time to focus on getting her sister back and she couldn't afford to waste any time. Lightning had always looked out for her first, it was just time to repay that care.

She looked to her side where Vanille was walking beside her, noting the subtle smile that seemed different than Vanille's usual. It was her turn to jab a finger into the Pulsian's side with a questioning look.

Vanille tilted her head, "What was that for?"

"Why are you smiling like that", she questioned.

Raising an eyebrow, Vanille crossed her arms and looked away, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Vanille smiled again and Serah pointed at her, "See! That, that smile. It's not you're usual 'I'm happy' smile. . it's different."

"Well. . I guess I should tell you, I had a dream with Lightning in it and I'm pretty sure it was real", Vanille said, looking down at her feet as they walked.

Serah stopped and looked at the, now, younger girl, "You had one too?"

"What? Y-yeah!"

Serah thrust a finger in Vanille's face, "Aha! That's what it is! That's you're 'I'm in love' smile!"

"W-what? L-love? . . Serah, just- whatever! What was you're dream about, since you know so much of mine!", Vanille said, hoping to escape the conversation.

"Smooth Van, but it was really short", she said as she thought about the dream that had wandered into her sleep.

xXx

_She had recognized the place as soon as she opened her eyes. New Bodhum, her home. . well it would be if _all _the people she loved were here._

_That's when she noticed the soldier standing in front of her, back facing her. Serah took a step forward and placed a cautious hand on her sister's shoulder._

_Lightning twirled around, her cheeks flushed, "Serah!. . How'd- nevermind, I don't have much time since you'll be waking up soon."_

_Serah was stunned as she felt herself pulled into a hug and then reacted by buring her face into Lightning's neck. Lightning's hand patted her back and she couldn't help but laugh at how awkward her sister was when it came to comforting._

_Lightning scowled, "I'm trying Serah."_

_"I know and you kept you're promise. I'll keep mine too, we're coming to help you", she said, finally looking into the calm azure eyes._

_Lightning let out a soft laugh, "Just . . don't do anything that Snow would consider okay, alright? I suppose I'll be patient until then, don't rush yourself into anything. Think about things and Etro please, do _not_ charge in guns blazing!"_

_She smiled brightly at her sister's relaxed tone, "Sis, you haven't even been on one date with Vanille and she's already taming you!"_

_Lightning rolled her eyes and muttered, "Just keep an eye out for each other."  
_

xXx

Serah shook her head and grinned at Vanille, "I guess that's why she was so red when I first saw her, she was having a nice dream of her own!"

Vanille stuck her tongue at her and sped into the room where the others were waiting. She stood beside Vanille and locked her gaze on what looked to be some kind of makeshift portal. Wires led from the hollow circle to the little moogle in the corner.

She ran up to Mog, careful not to trip on any wires, "What is all this?"

Hope looked up from his computer, "This is how we'll pass the timeline to get to Valhalla. It'll amplify Mog's magic and send us straight to Lightning."

She glanced at Vanille and saw how the Pulsian's eyes lit up at the mere mention of her sister. She grinned and arched an eyebrow at the redhead. She was glad someone had taken an interest in her sister, taken the challenge that would hopefully bring about Claire again . . . .or at least a little more.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts as Fang strolled in, "Lets get goin' yeah?"

Noel walked behind her and nodded to Hope, "I think we're all ready to go, even the hero's ready."

Serah looked up to see Snow looking down at her, his gruff smile as always, "Let's go save sis!"

Hope nodded to the moogle and Mog started twirling around the miniature staff, "Okay, Kupo!"

The machine whirled to life and electricity started to gather on the edges of the circle until it produced an orange glow in the middle. Hope held out his hand for them to go through it and Serah was the first to oblige. She took a few hesitant steps forward and then one final step sent her tumbling through the portal.

She looked in awe as she floated once again through the Historia Crux, soaring to what was the light at the end of the tunnel. A glance over her shoulder let her know the others were close behind. She returned her focus ahead of her and found the light overwhelming as she passed through the portal to lead her into Valhalla.

The brilliant glare of light was ironic to the scene now in front of her. The only way she could think to describe it was _dark_. That one, simple word held in itself the whole existence of Valhalla. If her sister was supposed to be keeping back the chaos, Serah feared that she had found the one thing that Lightning wasn't upholding.

Grey clouds lay like a blanket, covering the entire expanse of the sky. Strands of chaos wandered freely throughout, wisping it's way through abandoned structures. From their place on the deserted beach they could see a battle raging in front of the large castle.

Noel's feet dragged slightly as he walked forward, "It's like it's happening all over again."

Serah squinted her eyes at the battle unfolding in front of them. On the battlefront stood very clearly the two sides: good v.s. evil. It could be said that 'good' needed more than just reinforcements on their side. The beasts that had followed Lightning now attacked without guidance from their leader. Their former summons were at the forefront attacking what looked to be an army of shadows.

The shadows took on any shape that was needed, whether it be creature or human. Chaos fueled them, they're only possible sign of weakness was the tainted crystal hearts that was visible in each silhouette. Whenever the shadow was cut through or attacked, it would merely swirl in a tornado of chaos and then reassemble into it's former outline.

"How are we s'posed ta get ta Lightnin' with all this mess in our way?", Fang asked, the frustration evident in her voice.

Vanille frowned and bent her head to slide her knuckles together except for two fingers in a praying fashion, looking up after a moment, "Maybe we should help them first, it looks like they're tryin' to keep back the chaos too. It could help Lightning in the end if we take out some of the problem!"

Snow pounded his fists together and nodded to Noel and Hope, "Why don't you ladies leave it to us and go find Sis?"

Serah leaned up and kissed her hero briefly, "Thanks, be careful okay?"

Snow gave her a thumbs up, "We've got this babe, don't worry the heroes never die!"

Hope crossed his arms while Noel shook his head and gave her a envious look, "You're lucky you don't have to be with him just yet."

Hope pulled out small pulsating crystal, "We'll clear a path to the gates and then it's up to you all to free Lightning. Just set this on the throne for it to dissolve, it should be enough to energize Lightning out of stasis and buy us some time to find more."

Fang plucked the crystal out of his hands and twirled it experimentally in her hands, "Well then, lets go."

Serah jogged to match Fang's brisk pace as the guys ran to join the fray against the chaotic army. She could see the enormous gate that was grounded in the front of the castle. Snow threw grenades to clear out the cluster of shadows that were centered in front of their entrance.

Mog transformed into her bow for her to catch as they passed through the gate, pushing past the reassembling figures. The guys took their stances there and gave them reassuring smiles, followed by Snow's wink to her.

Fang gripped her arm and pulled her into a run again, "Time ta get that sister of yours, yeah?"

xXx

Noel's sword sliced straight through the shadowed Uridummu in front of him. Irritation surged through him as it swirled and then retained it's form. The beast lunged forward to snap it's jaw around him. He leaped back just in time to raise his sword to block the claw that followed. He had learned the hard way that the shadows could stay solid when they attacked and dissolve when they were being attacked.

He glanced over the swarm of shadows to see Snow swinging about wildly, tornadoes of chaos spinning all around him. Noel plunged his sword into the Uridummu, aiming for the darkened crystal heart. By pure luck, it slid straight into it. A crack formed through it and then a shatter of crystal followed it. The shadow lost it's form and shot straight up to return to the cloud of chaos hanging above Valhalla.

"Snow! Hit the crystals!", he shouted above all the fighting.

There was a shout of victory and Noel smirked, now they had a chance if they could hit them where it counts.

xXx

She pushed her legs to run faster and focused on keeping up with Fang. The quicker they passed through the floors of the temple, the quicker her sister could be freed. _No way I'm letting her out of my sights after that_, she thought as she shook her head, _It was enough with people thinking I was making up her disappearing after Cocoon's fall to do it all over again._

She spied Vanille out of the corner of her eye, the redhead's expression a mixture of determination and a quiet fierceness. She smiled to herself, _I guess I won't be the only one keeping an eye out for Sis after this is all over._

They followed Fang without question, knowing she had studied the castle's interior with Hope throughout the night before. They escalated another level until Fang stopped abruptly in front of her. She ran into the Pulsian's stiff back and heard a 'oof' as Vanille did the same to hers. Looking up, she could see the roof had been destroyed and was a clear view to the dark sky overhead. She slid around Fang to look ahead and let loose a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

Lightning's crystallized form sat in front of them, situated on the high throne that symbolized the goddess.

**Author's Note**

Eh, not how I originally intended for this to come out, but it works. Sorry I didn't write much with the guys, they aren't really that important at the moment so, y'know. Not to mention, I really _dislike _Snow, so I try and write Serah focusing more on her sister for once. I think after the next chapter is when I'll write in Lightning's point of view and go ahead switch it to just her's and Vanille's perspective. I know I already did one snippet of Lightning's view last chappy, but that was just because it was needed. Please read and review (Remember more reviews = quicker update ^.^)


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights/property goes to Square Enix. If I did own it, FFXIII-2 wouldn't have ended as depressing as it did and there definitely would've been some LightXVanille :D **

Vanille stared at the crystal throne in front of them. She hadn't thought to think what her reaction would be when she actually saw Lightning crystallized. She took a few steps to stand beside Fang. She glanced over to Serah to see the pinkette in the exact position. Fang retrieved the energized crystal and held it up for them.

"Let's see if this idea of Hope's works, yeah?"

She nodded as Serah mirrored it and Fang walked forward. Fang grinned over her shoulder before reaching to tap Lightning's forehead. Vanille's mouth dropped, Lightning would've killed Fang for just invading her space, much less poking her.

Fang shrugged, "What? If you two are gonna be a thing, I'm at least goin' ta have my fun love. Besides she has some explainin' to do anyway for kissin' ya the otherday."

Serah coughed, "Can you just, y'know, free her before you get into that?"

"Oy, sorry Serah", Fang said and placed the crystal in Lightning's lap.

Vanille held her breath as a bright,vertical tunnel of light shined down on the throne from the sky. She squinted her eyes to avoid the glare and could make out the crystal slowly dissolving. Lightning's head fell forward as it was released from the crystal prison and Vanille could see Fang start up to catch the soldier before she hit the floor. A whirl of chaos suddenly swirled around the throne, blocking Fang's attempt.

Lightning crumbled to the ground in front of the throne, gasping for air. The chaos clouded over the throne, almost completely blocking out the column of light that had been there a moment ago. The thickest shadows of the chaos swarmed down on Lightning and Vanille heard her yell out before she couldn't see through the chaos. She sucked in a deep breath before the chaos was upon them as well.

xXx

Snow looked towards the sky as he released a grenade into the cluster of shadows. A beam of light shot down from the sky and went straight into the middle of the castle. He returned his gaze to the battle in front of him to see Noel and Hope both staring at the column of light. The shadows started to rush up on them, surrounding them.

"What is that?", Noel asked as they came closer together.

Standing back to back, Hope held up his boomerang, "I. . .don't know."

Surveying the army encircling them, Snow gave them a thumbs up, "Hopefully something to do with sis! Lets get this over with so we can help 'em out!"

Snow drew back his arm and let his right hand sail through the air, meeting nothing as the shadowed Orobon disassembled and the chaos shot towards the sky. He watched as the chaos around them dissolved and merged back into a cloud of chaos, drifting towards the ruined castle. Once the chaos floated over the castle it started to swirl around the beam of light before covering it entirely.

"If that's something to do with Lightning, I think we should head up there", Noel said and gestured to the emptied battlefield around them.

Hope nodded and they set off through the gate, all quietly thinking something had gone horribly wrong.

xXx

Vanille opened her eyes and immediately felt how sore her entire body was. She bit back a groan as she tried to sit up. A hand on her shoulder gently pushed her down and caused her to freeze.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

She turned her head to see Lightning situated in a chair right beside the bed she occupied. Lightning gave her a concerned look when she didn't answer. Taking her hand and clasping it in her own, Lightning rubbed circles on the back of her hand. It caused her heart to leap for joy and her mind to wonder what was going on, conflicting and clouding her judgment.

"W-wha?", she asked, thoroughly confused.

Lightning tilted her head and gave a small, genuine smile, "When you said you didn't feel that well you could have elaborated a bit more before you passed out. . . You scared me."

Not waiting for a reply, Lightning reached forward and placed the back of her hand on her forehead, "Scared the others too . . your fevers down, that's good."

Vanille's mind screamed to her that this wasn't real, it couldn't be. She scrambled back and pulled herself into a sitting position. Hurt crossed Lightning's features as she shrugged off Lightning's reaching hand. That alerted her even more that it was just some illusion. The Lightning she knew had never shown so much emotion in just a few minutes.

"W-where am I?", she asked, cursing herself for how weak it sounded.

Lightning's eyebrows knitted together, "What do you mean, we're home. That fever must still be getting to you, lay back down Vanille."

She shook her head and jumped out of the bed, holding up her hands to keep Lightning from advancing, "You're not real, I don't know where I am, but. . .this isn't real."

Like her namesake, Lightning had pushed past her raised hands and pulled her into a hug, "Vanille, calm down! Alright, just take a deep breath."

Vanille squirmed to get out of the embrace, but in vain as Lightning tightened her hold, "Let me go! You're still crystal an-and we were gettin' you out, but-"

Lightning tilted her chin up and brushed her lips against hers, putting her rambling to a halt. She recoiled, instantly knowing this wasn't _her_ Lightning. She shoved the imposter back and 'Lightning' stumbled back.

Lightning narrowed her eyes and then disappeared into a haze of chaos. The breath rushed out of her lungs as she found the ground fall out from up under her feet. She squeezed her eyes shut to avoid the world spinning around her.

xXx

Hope raised his hand to catch the boomerang as it defied the air and swung back to it's owner. The only thing letting him know it had hit it's target was the angry roar he recieved in turn. Hope took a few steps back as the shadow dragon lunged forward at them, showing no signs of injury.

Noel's stance moved to one of a defensive mode, "I don't think we're doing anything to it but getting it angry!"

He nodded and tried to observe any sign of weakness in the dragon's movement. Never had he seen a creature like this before, he would've taken time to study it if that wouldn't mean his death. The long serpent like body was glittering a deep purple as it let loose a trail of fire. The claws clicked against the floor as it stalked toward them after they regrouped a few feet away. Spikes rose from the beasts back and he didn't want to find out how sharp the fangs were that bared at him right now. Another roar was released as it moved forward, it's tail whipping back in forth in the movement. It situated itself in front of the stairs, blocking any further ascent.

Snow whistled, "Damn. . this is gonna be fun, right? All out guys!"

Hope shook his head as he raised the boomerang over his head to prepare for another attack, _I don't really understand how Snow thinks the possibility of dieing is fun._

xXx

"Vanille, wake up!", accompanied with a hand shaking her shoulder made her eyes snap open.

She found herself being hauled up by Serah and pulled into a run as they stopped behind a stone pillar. Her heart thudded heavily against her chest as she drew in deep breaths to calm it. Serah was anxiously looking around the pillar they were pressed against and withdrawing. Following her example, Vanille peeked around the stone.

Instantly she spotted Fang ducking behind another column, her arms supporting an unconscious Lightning. Fang nodded to her and then broke into a run to hide behind their pillar. She gently propped Lightning up against the stone and looked back at them.

Continuing to be lost, she didn't quite understand, "For the love of Etro, someone tell me why we're hiding?"

Fang pulled her to the edge of their hiding place and directed her head to the right. She gasped as she saw what was threatening them, _Oh. . that would explain it. _Fang let her go and she bit her lip thinking of all the possibilities of what was happening.

On the other side of the room all the chaos had converged into creating one dangerous presence. She could make out what seemed to be a tall man. As the chaos started to solidify, she got a clearer glimpse at what the chaos was manipulating itself into. The, now, man wore night black armor, the only trace of color was the golden outlines. A dark cape trailed behind him, the chaos behind him whipping it up. The thing that shocked her the most was the violet eyes that stared back at her.

Fang looked back at them briefly, "I'm not gettin' it, I thought that the crystals was s'posed to keep it back. Instead it's over there and combinin' itself! What is that bloody thin'?"

"It needs more time to work. . it's still pulling from my essence", a voice below them said.

Vanille dropped to her knees to meet Lightning's blue eyes, glazed over with pain, "Light!"

Lightning nodded and allowed her to pull the knight onto her feet. Vanille took one of Lightning's arms and placed it over her shoulder as Serah did the same with the other. She could hear Lightning's ragged breaths just above her ear.

Fang's eyes narrowed Lightning, "Good ta have ya back, but hugs will have ta wait, yeah? You have any idea what that is?"

Lightning peered around and when she turned back around her eyes were glowing with Etro's symbol. Vanille noted that the symbol seemed to lack luster and she could see Lightning's azure eyes flickering to view. Lightning put her hands to her head, leaning against the pillar, once the glow faded and shook her head.

"Are you okay?", she asked and reached forward to brush away the bangs that had fallen into her face.

Lightning nodded swiftly, "Fine, it's just getting harder to summon Etro's power. My magic is all but drained permanently now, so we need to hurry if I'm to help rid us of this."

Serah gripped her sister's arm, "What is _this_, sis?"

"The chaos can form into any person it wants, even take on that person's personality they possessed. It seems to have taken on the image of a man named Theodor, otherwise known as Golbez. Quite a powerful being from what I could see", Lightning said as she flicked out her gun, "We need to buy the crystal some more time to dissolve before the chaos tries to absorb it. Serah, Vanille, you two stay back and keep safe."

Serah opened her mouth to object, but she beat the pinkette to it, "Lightning, that's not gonna happen! You should know that I'm capable of fighting and Serah's more than proved herself from going to find you with Noel."

Lightning's gaze flickered between the two of them before she sighed, "Just get back when he attacks, he's going to be able to cause some damage."

Serah stared at her in wonder as Lightning gave Fang a nod and they both ran out from their hiding spot. She smiled sheepishly and gave a shrug, _She's not going to fight while we hide like cowards, no more running._

Vanille whipped out her staff and followed closely behind Lightning, ready to fight for the people loved. . .Lightning included.

**Author's Note**

Where in hell did I get this from? I was writing and was like I'll throw in some other random FF character and I thought the shadow dragon seemed to fit pretty well with this story. And obviously ya can't have him without Golbez . . and I needed someone to fight them, so yeah. ^.^ So here it is! Please read and review, you guys know the deal when it comes to updates!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All rights and property goes to Square Enix; I gain nothing but the joy of writing! **

Vanille ran up behind Lightning and pointed her staff at the dark knight. Lightning glanced over her shoulder and flicked her wrist to shift her weapon into the sword.

"Be careful."

Her heart fluttered at Lightning's words and she cursed herself for being so infatuated with the soldier in front of her. With that Lightning threw herself mercilessly at Golbez, her sword raised high above her head. The shadows that fogged at Golbez's feet gathered in his hand to form an ax, just in time to meet Lightning's gunblade. The two weapons clashed, sparks flying off as they slid against each other.

Vanille bit her lip as Lightning's knees buckled from the weight pushing down upon her. What could she do? She hadn't ever been that handy with her rod, granted her magic was definitely one of the more developed of the group, but she had lost her magic. Lightning was the only one who possessed magic anymore and that was only barely now.

She shook her head, they didn't need to defeat Golbez, just stall the chaos. Vanille looked to the crystal throne, it was pulsating as magic from the crystal flowed through it. The crystal device Fang had deposited onto the throne was almost translucent now.

She glanced back to Lightning as the soldier fell to the ground. The dark knight aimed to bring down the ax upon her, but crashed into the brick as Lightning rolled out of the way. Fang ran up and swung her lance upward into Golbez's chest, leaving a dent in the black armor. Golbez staggered back from the heavy blow and took up a defensive stance before Fang could lay waste to him with more damaging hits.

Lightning reached out her hand, electricity dancing on her fingertips, before a thundaga shook the ground. The dark knight merely shook off the, normally destructive, hit and shifted from it's defensive position. Conjuring up a ball of flames, Golbez let loose a firaga. They all dropped to the floor to avoid the flames, but Vanille still felt the fire singe her clothes. She expected another attack from the shadowed knight, but nothing came. She looked up to see chaos flowing to the knight, giving him more power.

xXx

Noel landed on the dragon's back, arching his back to avoid the spikes that rose from it's spine. He thrust his dagger into it in order to keep it from shaking him off as he gained his ground. He ran up the beast's neck, keeping his knees bent and his posture lowered to keep balance. Raising his sword, he intended to plunge it into the creature's head, but it only met a torrent of chaos. The dragon was reduced to nothing as the chaos trailed up the stairs and vanished from their sight. Having nothing to stand on, Noel dropped to the ground.

"Why the hell does that keep happening to us?"

xXx

Vanille could see the chaos gathering, energy buzzing around him. The chaos was wavering though, she could clearly identify that. No longer could she spot the crystallized energy on the throne. Realization hit her, Golbez was out of time and he knew it; but before he did, he was taking them with him. Lightning rolled into a backwards flip before springing back up beside her after observing Golbez.

"Fang! Get Serah and take cover!"

Fang nodded from hearing her battle partner's words and grabbed the younger pinkette. Vanille felt Lightning's hand clamp down on her wrist and yank her into a run. The ground started to shake underneath their feet as they ran for suitable cover. Vanille looked up to the sky to see flaming rocks rocketing straight towards them. The sky was raining down hell, was all she could describe it as. She landed on her back as Lightning shoved her to the ground behind a pillar and kneeled protectively over her.

If she hadn't been so concerned about her possible death, she may have felt some embarrassment about Lightning almost laying over top her. She could honestly say that she still felt heat rise to her neck and cheeks. Her gaze flickered past Lightning to see meteorites hurling towards them, becoming larger with each distance it covered. _What a wonderful way to possibly die._

Meteorites slammed through the roofless temple, setting fire to whatever it came into contact with. A meteorite buried itself into the pillar they used for cover, causing it to set flame and collapse over them. Lightning bared her teeth in a grimace as the weight of the stone hit her back, but didn't move from her position. Vanille clenched her jaw as Lightning's forehead came to rest against hers and Lightning's arms covered her head.

The ground trembled as the meteorites crashed into it and the temple was set on fire. Vanille tried to breathe as little as possible, but sucked in deeply when needed and it summed up to a coughing fit. Lightning's eyes focused on hers for a moment and she was stunned by the concern held in them. They sat there staring at each other until they realized the meteorites had stopped, only the crackle of flames audible.

Lightning eyes widened before she scrambled off of her. She couldn't help but giggle as she assumed that the redness in Lightning's face wasn't from the heat around them. _She's so shy_, she thought as she took Lightning's offered hand to pull her up. She felt Lightning's grip lighten after she stood, but in turn she grasped the soldiers firmly. Lightning looked at her for a moment before nodding and returning it with a gentle squeeze.

They stepped around their hiding spot to see Golbez's form wisping at the edges. The dark knight looked straight at them before the chaos completely separated. The cluster of shadows weaved it's way towards them and Vanille felt herself being pushed behind Lightning. The chaos surrounded them and she couldn't see through it. She tightened her grip on Lightning's free hand, trying to find something real through all the horrors the shadows brought on. Whenever it was near, she couldn't help but think of the people she had hurt and the lies she had told in order to run away from her responsibilities. Holding on to Lightning reminded her not to get lost in the torment of nightmares the chaos instilled in her. Lightning _was _the actual light as the chaos swirled around them. She was the exception amidst all the chaos.

Bringing up her gunblade, Lightning slashed down on the swirling chaos with a galestrike. The wind sent the chaos reeling back and it dispersed into cracks. Vanille could hear Lightning's shaky breathing, though she could easily tell Lightning was trying to conceal it. She frowned, _That must've taken more out of her than she expected._

"Vanille?"

She looked towards the voice and saw Fang jogging up to them, Serah close behind. Seeing that both their respective sisters were safe, Lightning and Fang both gave each other a grateful nod. Lightning let go of her hand for a moment to hug Serah and she found herself pulled into one by Fang. Once she was released Lightning slipped her hand back into hers smoothly, intertwining their fingers. Lightning leaned on her heavily and worry struck through her before the sounds of footsteps slapping against the brick caught her attention.

"Serah!", Snow yelled as he ran into the flaming room and grabbed her hand.

Hope looked to the throne to see it glowing brightly, "I assume it's doing it's job, I suggest we get out here now."

She nodded, noticing that even though the room had no ceiling, it was become smoky and difficult to breathe. Tugging the knight's hand, she all but dragged Lightning as they ran from the room. Her hand was pulled down and she heard the sound of metal hitting the floor. She dropped to her knees just in time to catch Lightning's head and cradle her in her arms. The soldier was shaking and cold sweat had gathered on her face.

She looked up, her voice frantic as Hope knelt down beside her and checked Lightning's pulse, "What's wrong with her?"

"Calm down Vanille, she's alright. Suppling energy to the throne is what keeps back chaos, but as it does that, the chaos feeds off of it. That's why we needed a large amount of magic to push it back permanently. The point is, the transition from Lightning's energy to the crystal didn't go very smoothly and just took a lot out of Lightning", Hope explained as he stood back up, "The chaos affected Lightning differently than us; it continued to drain Lightning of her energy and the crystal, which is what caused Lightning's current state. The next time we encounter the chaos should be better due to the chaos locking on to just the crystal's energy."

Snow bent down and gently scooped Lightning up in his arms, giving her a wink as he did, "Don't worry, I got sis."

She was tempted to resist, but knew that she couldn't carry Lightning, especially with all the armor she wore. Vanille giggled at the thought of her carrying the soldier as they made their way through the maze like castle. She walked closely beside Serah, watching the younger Farron's reactions. Worry was the first thing that was clearly evident on her face. Vanille wondered why; she could understand that Lightning collapsing was frightening, but Hope had said she would be fine. _So why is she worried?_ They had did what they came to do and save Lightning, they had got their soldier back.

_Unless. . she's afraid of losing her again. _She could understand that better; gaining someone just to lose them all over again. She had felt something like that after waking up from stasis the first time with Fang. They had woken up just to get separated again when Fang chose to be a distraction. That had hurt worse than when they became crystal, at least then Fang was still close by and she knew her sister wasn't out being possibly injured.

"Serah", she asked and nudged the pinkette gently to get her gaze off her limp sister.

Serah hummed and turned her cerulean gaze on her, "Hmm?"

"Light's okay, she's not goin' anywhere", she said and gave a bright smile.

Serah let out a breath and nodded, not giving an answer.

She didn't know what the others thought, but the two pinkettes had more than physical similarities. Maybe Serah was a bit more friendlier and trusting than her sister, but that was just because Lightning had sheltered her so she didn't have to become closed off. No, the Farron sisters acted quite similar if she really looked at it. Serah was doing the exact same thing Lightning would if something bothered her; Keep it to yourself and act like nothing's wrong. _I wonder if that's some family trait of their's. The Farron moto, 'Do it yourself'._

Vanille rolled her eyes, _Do they think no one can see through their act? Don't they want help or someone to be there for them?_

She watched as Snow deposited Lightning slowly onto the sand as they came to a stop on the beach and looked at Serah. He grinned and picked up one of Lightning's hands and waved it back and forth at Serah. Vanille giggled as Serah laughed, _I suppose Snow can for Serah._

The others waited as Hope contacted Sazh and let the pilot know they were ready to come home. She ignored their conversations as she knelt beside Lightning's prone figure. She peered down at the unconscious pinkette, her hair slightly flicking up from the subtle wind. She smiled at the almost serene look on Lightning's face.

_And I can try for you, Lightning._

**Author's Note**

So I wasn't going to post this 'til tomorrow, but I'm putting this up as a gift you could say, thanks to HollowPanda for writing me a way better summary than I had (I'm a horrible summarizer). This one is a bit shorter, but I'll post again tomorrow and trust me, that one is like two chappys in one! I'm sorry if this chapter kinda sucked; I'm quite terrible at 'action' scenes and currently trying to improve my writing when it comes to that. Thanks to HollowPanda (multiple times), blackrose9008 (also multiple times), Phenomenon45 (multiple times), ShadowXV, and Mermaid Ninja for the reviews. I'm not sure if I'm expecting to much, but I have almost 300 views and only 12 reviews, can't a few more people comment; so please read and review. ~Thanks again HollowPanda ^.^

Sorry had to repost; my computer glitched and merged sentences together.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Square Enix gets all the rights and what not; I own nothing!**

Lightning let her body lean against the metal, her elbows resting on the rail. She was standing on top of, what she guessed was, Sazh's airship. The railing came up to stomach height and ran all along the sides. She took in a deep breath of the cool morning air and shivered, _it's colder than I expected_. She assumed the others were still asleep considering it was still dark, but she couldn't stay still anymore.

They had chosen to recuperate for a few days before setting out to find more crystals. Hope needed more time to pinpoint the exact locations of them anyway. _If I had been part of the discussion we would be already on our way._ To her dismay, they had already decided and were headed off to go to sleep by the time she regained consciousness. She couldn't remember much even then but Serah fussing over her before she fell back asleep.

She ran her fingers through her hair, frustration rolling off her like waves. _How could I pass out like that? Serah could've needed me. . _Vanille _could've needed me. _She dropped her hand to grip the rail, her knuckles turning white. No one else had collapsed and yet a seasoned soldier like herself dropped from some damn shadows. Lightning growled inwardly, _That was pathetic._

Light footsteps sounding against the metal made her freeze. She smiled despite herself, only one person walked on the tips of their toes like that. _Vanille. _The footsteps stopped suddenly once they neared her. She chose to keep facing away, looking towards the sky. _Why is she just stopping there? Should I say something?_

"Lightning, don't you think you should be resting?", Vanille cautiously asked.

_She sounds as if she's. . _scared _to ask me anything._ Lightning released her steel grip on the rail and turned to face the young Puslian. Vanille tilted her head and gave her a sheepish smile. The redhead looked down at her feet before shuffling nervously. Lightning sighed and shook her head at the younger girl's antics.

"I've had enough rest."

Vanille flinched and Lightning cursed herself for her words coming out harsher than she intended, so she added quietly, "I'm not tired anymore, but shouldn't you be in bed?"

Vanille's smiled immediately brightened, "Fang snores, it would be useless to go back to sleep and I'm not that tired anymore. . . Mind if I stay out here for a lil'bit?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but not trusting her words, only gave a shake of her head. Vanille walked up and took a place leaning against the rail, close enough that their arms brushed. Lightning swallowed thickly and found her muscles tensing, _Calm down soldier, just standing here. . alone. . and I _swear _she's getting closer. _

Lightning felt Vanille's arm twitch for a moment and looked at the redhead. Vanille was shaking slightly and Lightning mentally slapped herself, _she's cold, you idiot. _Lightning looked down at her own attire and doubted there was anything she could offer the Pulsian, _a sleeveless jacket wouldn't help anybody._

Lightning bit her lip as she reached over and drew Vanille closer to her. Her thoughts went to Serah's picking on how awkward she was when it came to others, _Etro, please don't make this awkward._ She was pleasantly surprised when Vanille didn't resist and Vanille put her own arm around her back. She moved her hand against Vanille's arm to cause friction, hoping to warm up the redhead.

Her breathing hitched as Vanille's hit her neck, "Thanks."

"Yeah", she said, only being able to articulate one word.

_'Yeah', what the hell is that? I've been reduced to a single word and it's only been five minutes. _She swallowed and prayed that Vanille couldn't feel how rapid her heart was beating. Lightning stiffened as Vanille snuggled closer to her.

"I'm glad you're back Lightning."

Just those words made her instantly loosen up and her muscles relaxed. She set her chin atop Vanille's head gently and took in the fitting scent of vanilla, soothing her frayed nerves. She searched for words, but stopped when she realized it wasn't needed. There were no awkward silences when she was with Vanille, just calming, quiet moments.

Vanille moved her head from up under hers and she followed where the Puslian's gaze now landed. The sun was starting to rise up on the plains of Gran Pulse and even on Bhunivelze it was quite spectacular. She hadn't even realized that dawn had come upon them as they stood on the ship's roof.

"I haven't seen a Gran Pulse sunrise in a while", Vanille commented.

Lightning laughed softly, thinking of the Fal'Cie that had provided them with fake light, "Is there any other kind?"

Vanille shook her head, "I suppose not. . it's beautiful."

Lightning's mind was elsewhere as she couldn't take her eyes off the one centered in her arms and whole heartedly agreed, "Yeah."

It was Vanille's turn to blush as she faced the soldier and noticed her staring at her. Lightning inched forward and stopped, their faces just inches apart. She closed her eyes as Vanille closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against hers. She had thought their first kiss was wonderful, granted she had been caught off guard, but it didn't, _couldn't_, compare to this one. There was no shock or surprise in this kiss, both wanting it equally. Lightning allowed her arms to wrap around the redhead's waist to pull her closer. She numbly felt one of Vanille's hands tangle itself in her hair to pull her, if possible, closer as the other moved to the back of her neck. Lightning knew she could lose herself while kissing Vanille, she could throw away all her cares and happily do this all day. Sadly, the need to breathe arose and they both pulled away, neither wanting it to end. Their faces still stayed close enough as their noses touched while they regained the breath.

She sighed when she could hear people scuffling about underneath their feet in the rooms below and placed a quick kiss on Vanille's lips, "I probably need to go speak with Serah."

She granted a small smile to Vanille as she blushed and nodded, "Yep, I need to talk with Fang too! I kinda got out of it last night, so she won't let me escape again."

Lightning chuckled and took the younger girl's hand as they walked down the stairs. . straight into both their respective sisters with serious expressions. Serah raised an eyebrow at them and then her gaze traveled to Lightning. Fang narrowed her eyes at her and then grabbed Vanille's wrist before dragging the redhead off. Vanille turned around as she was being dragged and mouthed 'good luck' to her. She bit back another smile as Serah turned around and walked to her room, expecting her to follow.

She took in a deep breath, gearing up to hear whatever her sister's concerns were and then stepped into the room she had taken up during their stay. Serah sat on the bed, her hands fidgeting with the small bird that was centered on the armor she had worn. She had changed back into her old uniform as soon as she was given the chance, not to say she didn't like the armor, but it wasn't all that comfortable.

"Claire."

She involuntarily flinched at the use of her given name, _Damn. . Serah's serious now. _She gingerly sat down beside her sister, unsure of what to do. Serah looked at her before taking one of her hands into her own. She stayed still as Serah looked down at their hands, hopefully summing up a sentence.

"Please don't leave me ever again Claire", Serah said as she finally looked up, tears visible in her eyes.

"Serah-"

Serah cut her off before she could finish, "No, Claire listen! Please, just listen, okay?"

Seeing her sister wasn't letting up, she clenched her jaw and nodded. Serah sighed and nodded her head in return. Lightning noticed that Serah wouldn't meet her eyes, instead choosing to compare their hands together. Serah's hand felt much smoother and softer than her own, her fingers going past Serah's as their palms pressed together.

"Before I became a L'Cie, we weren't that close anymore and that was my fault. I-I guess I resented you for joining the army, I always thought you could've found something else to do other than resorting to that. Claire, I didn't even want to talk to you all these years because I thought you were to busy to listen. I never stopped to think why you were busy, never once did I think about that when I was going off with my friends or Snow. An-and yet, you still gave it all up for me again when all that mess happened and, Claire, I'm so sorry. I-I don't know why you still came for me when I was such a brat and-"

"Serah, that's enough!", she said, her voice getting louder than she usually held it to get Serah's attention.

She stood up and walked away, trying to sort out her thoughts before she spoke. Lightning pinched the bridge of her nose, grinding her teeth. She let out a bitter laugh and shook her head, gaining Serah's attention. She stepped back up and took her place beside Serah.

"You're so stupid sometimes Serah", she said and brushed a few stray tears off Serah's cheek.

Serah recoiled from her, "Claire!"

Lightning raised up her hands, "I'm saying that because. . . Serah I will always be there for you and I don't care how far we drift apart; you're my family and I'll protect you always."

Serah's lips started to quiver and she groaned inwardly, _Please don't start- _Serah tackled her into a hug and started sobbing into her jacket, _crying._ The thing that made her so horrible when it came to comforting was when people started crying. She really couldn't understand why that was always Serah's first reaction, no matter what the circumstance.

"I was so scared Claire after you disappeared and. . . no one believed me when I said I did see you!. . . I remembered you congratulating Snow and I about getting married, but no one believed me. . . I, I don't even think Snow really did, he just searched for you because of me", Serah said in between sobs.

"That's funny, I don't remember congratulating you", she said attempting to stop the crying from her younger sister.

Serah's crying diminished to just sniffles as she lightly hit her shoulder, "Claire! How could you even say that!"

"I'm just suggesting I was in a good mood after saving the damn world and you took advantage of the situation", she said, glad that Serah finally stopped crying completely.

Serah giggled, her voice muffled by Lightning's jacket, "You're actually being funny Claire."

"Don't get use to it", she said and poked her sister's forehead with two fingers.

Serah shrugged and gave her a smirk, making her immediately think Serah had been around Fang too much, "I dunno, maybe Vanille's just bringing out your softer side."

Lightning scoffed and arched an eyebrow, "How do you suppose that?"

"Hmm, you're trying to funny and actually trying to cheer me up without being awkward? I guess you really like her", Serah said.

Lightning rolled her eyes, "No Serah, I just go kissing everybody I know."

"Oh! So you guys actually do kiss!", Serah exclaimed, ignoring her sister's sarcastic tone.

Lightning realized her words and felt heat rise up on her face. She face palmed and sighed, _That's why I don't talk about stuff like this. _Serah giggled in front of her and offered a comforting squeeze on her shoulder.

"It's okay Claire, I approve!"

Lightning groaned, "Wonderful, why don't you go find a boyfriend I approve of?"

"A-ah, you did approve of Snow, can't take it back now. Speaking of, we probably should go see where everyone is.", Serah said and rubbed her eyes to rid them of lingering tears.

Lightning nodded and stood up, striding towards the door. She turned around when Serah was still sitting on the bed, deep in thought.

"Serah?", she asked.

Serah offered her a smile, "Can I ask one more thing Claire?"

Lightning waved her hand and so Serah continued onwards, "Do you. . love her?"

Lightning flinched, her thoughts short circuiting, "W-what? . . .Isn't it a bit quick to be asking me that?"

"No, not if it's what you feel. Snow told me within the first week, besides he had to mean it, he was ready to go through you", Serah said, shaking her pink head.

"Using Snow as your point isn't helping your case."

Serah pouted at her, "Please Claire, I'm serious. It's not that crazy if you do, especially considering how strongly you feel things. Just because you don't project your emotions doesn't mean you don't feel things. Besides, you two did go on a journey to save the world together, people wouldn't judge you for already being close."

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. _Love? That's what she asked, right?_ Lightning crossed her arms and drummed her fingers over her skin. She wanted Vanille taken care of and happy, she wanted to be the one to do that. Lightning knew that she cared for Vanille, but when and how does that cross over into . . _love?_

Serah smiled softly, "I'll help you Claire, answer this; do you want Vanille to be with anyone else?"

Lightning looked up at her sister, but kept her answer to herself. _No, I want Vanille to be with me and only me. . When did I become this-_

"You're not needy if you think no, just a bit possessive, but that's okay."

_Possessive? That's a term for something that's yours; is Vanille mine? . .I want her to be happy with me, not someone else._ Lightning scoffed, _That's seems selfish, but it's true._ She pursed her lips, if caring for someone this deeply and wanting her and only her meant she was in love then . . . _I'm in love with Vanille._

She looked up and met Serah's gaze, neither saying anything. Serah's eyes darted back in forth and then she smiled.

"I'm happy for you Claire".

Lightning nodded and closed her eyes to calm herself down. Her heart had picked up and was now rapidly beating. She looked down at her hands and could feel how hot they had became through the gloves. She moved her eyes to the door, almost asking permission for her to be able to go.

Serah jumped up happily and opened up the door before walking out. Shaking her head, she strode out the door to follow her ecstatic sibling. A fist sunk into her stomach and pushed her against the wall. The breath rushed out of her and she would've retaliated if not for the spear nicking her neck.

"What the hell Fang!", she shouted at the Pulsian.

"Fang!", Vanille yelled, but was silenced as the warrior glared at her.

"You and Serah go 'head, me and Sunshine hear need ta have a talk, yeah?", Fang asked, but it came across more as a command.

Vanille started to object but Fang huffed, "Look I won't hurt Flash over 'ere, unless she asks for it."

Lightning sighed and leaned her head against the wall, she knew how protective Fang was over Vanille. _Honestly, I expected her to come 'talk' to me earlier. _Normally she would've escaped Fang's grasp, but she stayed still, knowing that Fang deserved to question her. _I more than tortured Snow, it's only fair if I experience it too._

She nodded to Vanille and Serah, motioning for them to go on. Vanille didn't seem to like it, but all her sister did was smile and give her thumbs up. _Is she just starting to act like everyone now? First Fang's smirk and now Snow's damn optimism. _She glanced at Vanille, _maybe Vanille's optimism, I wouldn't mind if that's where she got it from. . ._She didn't stop to wonder why she thought one's optimism could be better than another's. Vanille's gaze met hers and she immediately looked down as the heat rose to her cheeks from thinking about her confession to Serah. _Well it wasn't exactly a confession, more like a forced therapy session._

Serah pulled Vanille away and Fang grinned at her now that they were alone. The fist that was pressing into her gut was removed to press a forearm against Lightning's collarbone. The spear remained in place, putting barely enough pressure to cause a thin bead of blood to run down from her neck.

"I'll keep this short, yeah?", Fang said and didn't wait for a response, "If ya hurt her in anyway, I'll rip ya limb from limb, got it Farron?"

She tried to respond, but didn't get a chance as Fang pressed down on her collarbone, cutting off her air to show she wasn't done, "She cares about you and if you abuse that, well . . "

The tip of the lance dug into her neck deeper causing a fair sized cut and she felt the trail of blood thicken. She fought the urge to gasp for breath as Fang wouldn't let up on her airways. Fang waited for a reply, but winced when she remembered her force on the soldier's neck.

Fang lessened her pressure, "Sorry mate, forgot."

"Whatever. . Fang, I promise I will not harm Vanille in anyway and I'll do whatever it takes to protect her. I . .I care about her too", she mumbled the last sentence quickly.

She chose to say care instead of the word that came into her mind, _love._ If she was going to say it to anyone, it would be Vanille. She deserved to hear feelings dealing with her before anyone else did.

Fang nodded and removed herself completely off of her. Lightning swallowed and rubbed her throat, knowing that there would be bruises. Fang clapped her on the shoulder and then reached out her her hand. Lightning looked down at it and then clasped her hand around Fang's arm, just below the elbow. Fang did the same and then released her. Giving a wink, Fang turned around and sauntered off with a jaunty wave.

Lightning sighed and slid down onto the cool floor, _What have I gotten myself into?_

She flinched when her sight when blank, feeling Etro's familiar visions sweep across her eyes.

xXx

(Vanille's point of view, starting from earlier)

As soon as Fang grabbed her wrist, she knew that her sister wasn't happy. It was probably discovering that she had gotten out of the bed and not told her where she was going. _Not to mention seeing me now with Lightning. _She looked at the soldier and could still see faint traces of redness on her face, knowing some still probably lingered on her own.

Fang started to drag her off and she turned to mouth 'good luck' to the soldier. A ghost of a smile passed over Lightning's face before she followed Serah into her room. She walked past Fang as the warrior opened up the door and gestured for her to go through.

She sighed and placed her hands on her hips, "What's wrong Fang?"

"Don't start with me Vanille, y'know my problem. How old are ya, sneaking up there to go see Lightnin'?", Fang said, her voice loosing it's usual playfulness.

She rolled her eyes, _I have to be stern with this or Fang won't take me seriously, _"Fang I think I'm old enough to get out of bed without telling you where I'm going. It's a ship, I couldn't go anywhere anyway."

Fang picked up her spear and tested the edge, "That doesn't mean I don't worry about where you are, even when you're with _her_."

Vanille frowned, picking up the hint of jealousy in it, "Fang how come when we were in stasis, you picked on me about this, but now that we're actually here you all of a sudden hate Light?"

"I don't hate Lightnin', it's just . .I just want to make sure you're safe, I mean, I know Lightnin' can hold her own, but. . ", Fang shook her head and sighed.

Vanille smiled and hugged the other Oerban, "I know you'll always be here to protect me Fang. You should be happy, now I have another person to watch out for me, so I'll be even safer!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. . If she doesn't take care of you or hurts ya, you let me know. Ya better tell me, especially if you're serious about her.", Fang released her before picking up her weapon and started sharpening her spear's edge.

Vanille narrowed her eyes at the weapon, briefly wondering why she was messing with it now, "I promise I'll tell you if she does, but I doubt I'll ever have to. . I really want this to work Fang."

Fang looked up from the lance, "Exactly how serious are ya about her?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean how serious are we talkin'? . . Do ya love her or somethin'?", Fang joked as she resumed sharpening.

Vanille looked down at her feet, _to love Lightning Farron? That would be something._ Fang glanced back up at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Vanille?"

She met Fang's green gaze with her own emerald one, "I-I don't know Fang, how on Gran Pulse do ya know?"

"Damn, I didn't think it was that serious. . Don't ask me Van, I ain't got a clue", Fang said and slightly smirked at her.

She ignored Fang's amusement and ran the question over and over in her mind. She wanted to help Lightning any way she could. She knew she couldn't protect the soldier in fights very well, but she would stand by her. Vanille wanted the pinkette to let her guard down for once and let someone in, _she_ wanted to be the one Lightning opened up to. She put her hands to her mouth, _Oh maker, I'm in love with Lightning._

Fang eye's twitched as if she realized it too and stood up.

"Who would've thought you would fall for a Cocoonian? I blame you and your bloody curiosity towards them", Fang said in wonder as she flung open the door.

She quickly followed her sister out and hoped for the best. She noticed Serah standing out of Lightning's room and Lightning followed. There was a rush of movement and she heard something slam against the ship's metal side.

"What the hell Fang!"

"Fang!", she yelled as she saw Lightning being pinned by the Oerban's weapon and fist.

Fang turned around and looked at her,"You and Serah go 'head, me and Sunshine hear need ta have a talk, yeah?"

She tried to object, but Fang beat her to it, "Look I won't hurt Flash over 'ere, unless she asks for it."

She looked past Fang and saw Lightning give a simple nod of her head. The soldier's face lit up and then she looked down, instantly worrying Vanille. _Oh Etro, can she tell? Does she know that I . .?_

She didn't have anymore time to study Lightning as the younger Farron pulled her away after giving a thumbs up to her sister. Serah released her as they turned around the corner and looked at her. The pinkette snapped her fingers in her face to try awaken her friend from her stupor.

"Hey Vanille, chill, Sis can handle Fang just fine", Serah said and gave her a knowing smile.

She nodded, but couldn't meet the younger Farron's eyes. _She's gonna know as soon as she looks at me._ Vanille shook her head, Serah wasn't a mind reader; she wouldn't be able to pick up her newfound feelings for her sister. Deciding to test it, she met Serah's cerulean gaze and immediatley regretted it. Serah's eyes were a shade darker than Lightning's icy blues, but nonetheless, they both could read people easily.

"Vanille. . are you okay, you're kinda getting red", Serah stated and gave her a worried look.

She nodded quickly, "Yep! Lets just, ah. .go ahead and see if Hope's set up for tomorrow."

She didn't wait for Serah's reply as she slipped into the room she supposed was typically used for briefing. Hope looked up from a stack of papers and gave them a stiff nod. His gaze drifted behind her and she turned to see Fang smirking as she walked into the room. She stood on the tips of her toes to see past Fang, but couldn't find the soldier striding through.

"Fang", she was satisfied when Fang slightly flinched from her calling her sister's name, "Where's Lightning?"

Fang scratched her head, "Well I didn't kill 'er, if that's what you're askin'."

Another glare and Fang raised her hands in surrender, "I may have, ah, cut 'er- but just a lil'. Yun's honor, she's fine, probably just cleanin' herself up."

She huffed and Fang gave her a sheepish grin as she sat on top of the table, swinging her legs. Hope gave her a look, but the warrior just shrugged it off. She rolled her eyes at her friend and felt Serah nudge her.

"Go get Lightning for me? Knowing her, she's just using that as an excuse to not have to sit in here", Serah asked and gave her a pleading look.

Vanille smiled and nodded, "Sure!"

She immediatley skipped out and headed towards Lightning's room. She hummed quietly as her footsteps echoed down the hallway. Vanille stopped when she saw Lightning sitting on the floor, non-moving.

"Lightning!", she dropped beside the soldier to see the glow of Etro's symbol in her eyes.

_Oh maker, what happens if it's like Serah's visions and can hurt her. . what happens if it _kills _her?_ She shook her head and started to shake Lightning's shoulders.

"Snap out of it Light!"

Lightning blinked, the glow slowly fading and looked at her, "Vanille what are-?"

She wrapped her arms around the soldier's back and laid her head on her shoulder. She nuzzled her face against the fabric of Lightning's jacket as Lightning's arms encircled her. She looked up when Lightning let out a quiet laugh.

"Not that I'm opposed to it, but what's this for?"

"You were having a vision and I was worried that it would. . ", she trailed off, not wanting to think about it.

"Vanille, the visions I have can't hurt me, granted they're not all that pleasant, but I'll live through them. They're not like Serah's were when she had them, Etro only can supply me with visions when she can. Not powerful enough to cause any permanent harm.", Lightning explained and gently kissed the top of her head.

She nodded and buried her face into Lightning's neck, inhaling the clean, rainy scent that wafted off of Lightning, "How can Etro still give you visions, isn't she. . y'know, dead?"

Lightning's voice resonated in her chest as she spoke, "Mmm, not really, she can still survive in the Void as a spirit. I'm pledged to Etro, as long as I live, so can she. Before you guys had came up with the crystal supplying her energy; If I had died the throne would break and cut off the energy flowing to her, in turn Etro would also die. I suppose chaos would be free then, if nothing was blocking it's way."

Vanille lifted up her head to look into Lightning's azure gaze, not wanting to think about even the possibility,"What did she show you?"

"I think. . that can wait", Lightning said and reached to brush the bangs out of her face.

From how close their proximity was, she could only glance back and forth between Lightning's eyes and her lips. The corners of Lightning's mouth twitched upwards and she leaned forward to brush her lips against hers. She couldn't think straight when kissing Lightning, though she didn't even try to. She smiled into the kiss, _Lightning kinda paralyzes me._ Vanille's arms traveled upward and she clasped her hands behind Lightning's neck. Lightning tilted her head and responded with vigor as the kiss deepened.

"Hey guys- _Maker_!. . What the hell, oh damn, I-I'm sorry eh you two!. . "

They both jumped and pulled back, but still wrapped in each other's arms. She turned her head upwards to see Sazh shaking his head, even through his dark skin she could see his blush. Vanille felt her own cheeks heating up as she realized their position. She was practically sitting in Lightning's lap and they had been making out as poor Sazh stumbled upon them.

Sazh turned around and waved his hand at them, "I was told to find you two! Damnit, Snow set me up, he said 'go get Sis and Vanille for us', I should've known he would try and give this old man a heart attack. Y-you two finish up. . what you were doing and come and join us whenever . ."

Sazh practically ran down the corridor as she hid her face in Lightning's neck. She couldn't help but giggle at Sazh's unexpected appearance. _I'm surprised Lightning didn't hear him coming_, she thought as she looked up at the soldier.

Lightning looked at her and shrugged, "That'll teach them to leave us alone."

"Y-you did hear him!", she stuttered and hit Lightning's shoulder lightly.

Lightning shook her head, "No, I actually didn't, but I'm saying that I doubt they'll come looking for us again. . or at least Sazh won't."

Lightning sighed, "I suppose we should go discuss what I saw with the others instead of repeating it twice."

Without giving her a chance to get up, Lightning had scooped her up in her arms. She quickly wrapped her arms around Lightning's neck as Lightning stood up. She giggled at the small grin on Lightning's face and kissed her. Lightning quickly deposited her onto her own feet and she felt her back bump against the wall as Lightning kissed her back. Her hands gripped Lightning's surprising soft hair. She hadn't imagined that those spikes could be so silky in her hands. Lightning placed on hand on her hip and another above her head.

"A-are you two coming?", Sazh asked as he stood around the corner, careful not to look.

Lightning's eyes flashed as she reared back and glared at him, "_Damnit _Sazh!"

**Author's Note**

So this chapter was kinda the end of the first arc (I believe that's what they call it :D), before they kinda set out again. It was also a kind of break from the story because I needed to work on some of their emotional standpoints and I wanted to do both of theirs, though I didn't want them confessing their (awesome) love for each other; save that for another chappy. Do you guys see how freaking long this is? That's the longest chapter I've written in any of my fanfics! I'm hoping for some reviews for this chapter because I'm not the greatest, ah, emotional(?) writer. So please review and enjoy this chapter because I may not update 'til Monday (turning 16 and whatnot XD)


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, nor can I ever hope to; all rights and property are Square Enix's.**

Vanille giggled quietly as she watched Lightning glare at Sazh across the table. Lightning's azure eyes were narrowed and she had a small frown on her face. She stifled another giggle, _Lightning's really annoyed that Sazh. . interrupted us. _She glanced to Sazh, the older man's eyes dancing nervously about. The pilot had ran as soon as Lightning had cursed at him, but it still did nothing to deter Lightning now.

"Lightning?"

She returned her gaze on Hope as he called her soldier's name when she didn't answer the first time. She squeezed Lightning's hand gently that was clasped by both of her hands and centered in her lap. She had been observing what hardships Lightning had faced through life, clearly defined. Vanille ran her thumb along a jagged scar on the back of Lightning's hand; she hadn't noticed it before, but now that she was close to Lightning it was easy to see the scars that marked her body.

Lightning dropped her glare from Sazh and set it on Hope, "What?"

"You had a vision. . ", Hope trailed off, hoping that Lightning would pick it up.

"Oh. . yeah. We need to start getting a move on, Etro's sensing that the chaos is starting to test the crystal's power. If it absorbs the rest of that crystal's energy before we supply it with more, the chaos will get free. Even I'm starting to feel something trying to push it's way into the timeline", Lightning said, trying to gather everything she could from the brief vision.

Hope tapped his pen on the table, "I haven't exactly found all the crystals though! I've located three of them, but there's a large magic signature in another part of the timeline. I just need more time to pinpoint it's time. I'll need at least another day."

Fang groaned, "So yer sayin' we have ta stay here another whole day?"

"Yeah, we have to, sorry guys. Rest up another day and then I think the easiest one to find will be in the Vile Peaks", Hope stated and stood up.

Vanille stood up and smiled to Lightning, tugging her soldier along. Hope coughed as he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her an apologetic look.

"Sorry Vanille, I have to borrow Lightning for a little project of mine", he said, his gaze flickering between them.

She turned to the older Farron and nodded before Lightning could reject, "That's okay. .I'll see you once you're done?"

"Right", Lightning leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, squeezing her hand before releasing it.

Vanille suppressed the need to let out an undignified squeal. Lightning was being much more affectionate, even in with the others around. _I don't know what made her get over her shyness, but. . I kinda like it. _She took in a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. She took one last glance at Lightning in time to see the soldier smile at her before walking to go follow Fang.

xXx

Lightning flipped through the stack of papers on her bed, almost snapping the pen she held in half. She groaned, glad she had changed into a more comfortable t-shirt and shorts, _It's going to take me all night to finish this. _Looking for any other excuse to not do what Hope had asked of her, she was glad when a knock sounded at her door. A redhead peered around the door, not waiting for her to answer.

Vanille smiled at her and she could feel her heart start to race, "Hey, whatcha doing?"

She gestured to the stack of papers in front of her, "Hope."

Vanille skipped over to her and sat beside her, "What is all this?"

"Apparently Hope figured I could shed some light on some things that got a bit hazy over the years. Wants me to detail what actually happened in parts of history that are too old to find anything useful towards them.",she said as she handed a few to Vanille.

The younger Pulsian giggled for a moment at her choice of wording before frowning as she read, "Why does he think you can help with that?"

Lightning put one arm around the redhead and drew her closer, "I saw everything from Valhalla; past, future, it was all just there in front of me."

"So you know everything that's going to happen?", Vanille looked over the papers in her hands, curiosity peeked.

Lightning shook her head, "Now that I'm away from Valhalla it's starting to get fuzzy. Things that I shouldn't know because I wasn't in that time, it's like trying to grasp air if I try remembering it."

"Could you see our future?", Vanille asked cautiously.

Lightning knew she was talking about everyone, but decided to answer according to her own thoughts, "No, Etro made sure I couldn't see anything that would effect me personally, but I don't need to see into the future to know you're in it."

Vanille smiled, a slight hue of pink rising to her face and leaned closer to her. They shared a brief, but sweet kiss before Vanille snuggled up to her. Lightning smile was obstructed from Vanille's view as she was situated firmly under her head, _That came out better than I thought and Vanille seemed to be taken with it. _She tilted her head and kissed the top of Vanille's head before resuming scanning the documents in her hands.

Vanille stayed nestled tightly against her, the warmth soothed and attempted to lull her to sleep. She blinked rapidly, _I need to read more of these or Hope won't be very satisfied. Besides, _she looked at the one in the crook of her arm, she didn't want to be sleeping while Vanille was in her arms. _It's something I don't want to skip out on. . _

They sat there in silence, nothing breaking it except the sometimes shuffling of papers and their quiet breathing. She quickly noted Vanille's deep breaths and peered down to see Vanille asleep with a content smile plastered across her face, _She must not realize how _adorable_ she is._

"Claire?"

Her head snapped up as her door slowly opened to reveal Serah peeking in. Vanille flinched and lifted her head up drowsily. The Pulsian yawned and it tugged on Lightning's heart, _I'm hopeless. . ._, she had fallen hard for the perky redhead.

"Sorry Claire, I just was telling you goodnight and all, but night to you too Vanille", Serah said and tried not to smile at the loving look on her sister's face when Vanille yawned.

Lightning nodded and Vanille shook her head to rid it of the haze sleeping had brought on, "Goodnight Serah!"

The younger pinkette disappeared quickly to avoid any anger from her sister. Lightning sighed and glanced at Vanille when she giggled.

"What?", Lightning asked, intrigued by the girl's random acts.

"You let her call you that, I just was wondering why?", Vanille shrugged as she moved to lay on her back beside the soldier.

Lightning hummed, "The only reason I can't get mad at her for that is because I love her."

Her mind clicked as she looked at Vanille, noting the girl had chose to say _that_ instead of her real name. _That's perfect. ._

She swallowed thickly, "You do know. . you can call me th-Claire, right?"

Vanille's eyes flickered to hers as the girl tried to comprehend what Lightning had just said. _She said she lets Serah because she loves her. . did Lightning- did she just tell me she loves me?_

Lightning flinched, _maybe I shouldn't have said that, _hoping to avoid anymore stupidity on her half, she added, "If you want, you can. . I mean you-"

Vanille kissed her cheek quickly before the soldier got the wrong idea from her silence, "I'd love to call you Claire, it suits you now that I think about it."

Lightning turned onto her side so she could see Vanille, glad that the redhead hadn't freaked about what she had implied. Vanille's emerald gaze flickered to hers as she thought about what Vanille had said.

"Why do you think that?"

Vanille shrugged, "I wouldn't have thought it before, but. . Claire seems gentle and kind."

The Pulsian leaned up to kiss her lips briefly, "Though, Lightning's like that too, especially protective; just hides it better."

Lightning laid her head next to Vanille's, still losing herself in those brilliant green eyes. She could tell Vanille was about to fall asleep again and chose to use it to her advantage.

She smiled slightly, "Which one do you like better?"

Vanille snuggled closer to her and latched her arms around her stomach, yawning heavily, "I love them both."

Lightning wrapped her arms around the younger girl and kissed her head, seeing she had already drifted off into sleep. She wouldn't need to sleep yet, she would be able to stay up longer and she was glad to have plenty of time to go over this. Normally she was never one to raise her voice, she always preferred using words themselves to get her point across. Right now though, she was ready to shout for joy, _she loves me. ._

xXx

Vanille stretched and sighed as the sunlight hit her face. She opened her eyes to see that Lightning had thrown a blanket over them sometime in the night. The soldier was behind her, pressed against her back with one of her arms thrown around her waist. She could feel Lightning's light breaths hit the back of her neck.

She smiled as she turned around in the soldier's arms, instantly waking up the pinkette. Lightning tensed for a moment, but relaxed as she got her bearings back. Vanille shook her head slightly, _Always a soldier._

"Morning", Lightning's said, her voice still husky with sleep.

"Good mornin'!", she said and leaned up to give Lightning a brief kiss.

Lightning closed her eyes and sighed with content as she ducked up under the soldier's chin. She nestled herself against Lightning, loving the warmth it caused, both physically and in her heart. She was almost glad that they had nothing to do today because she would love to lay here all day.

_Love. ._

Vanille had used every ounce of her willpower to not kiss the soldier senseless when she had gave her permission to use the name Claire. The soldier had insinuated that she loved her and see seemed to remember that she had said she loved both parts of Lightning's personality. The stoic soldier didn't seem to realize how safe and secure she made her feel, no matter how Lightning was acting. Lightning or Claire, she didn't mind either of them.

Lightning was no nonsense and backed it up with her fighting skills. The pinkette was harsh and stubborn when it came to doing what was right and protecting her family; though she hadn't figured that Lightning was striving to protect them in the beginning, she just had assumed the soldier had her own agenda.

Claire was gentler; she couldn't decide whether it was just a softer side to Lightning, or the old person Lightning used to be showing through. _I'll have to ask Serah how she acted before. _Claire was calmer and from what she could tell, talked more freely. Vanille hummed as she thought, it was becoming harder to tell the difference between the two now. At first, Lightning had blushed when it came to any kind of contact, now she initiated some of their affections.

Like now, she was snuggled close to the soldier and there wasn't any aggravation or blushing by it, just an arm wrapped around her. Lightning had allowed her emotions to surface as of late, allowed Claire to show through, and Vanille wanted her to know how much she valued that Lightning did it because of her.

Lightning's grip on her slackened and she looked up to see she had fallen back into a light sleep. She could see a hint of dark circles under Lightning's eyes and reached up to brush the pink bangs that had fallen. She giggled when she looked at the rest of Lightning's hair. The pink spikes were splayed out in every direction. She jumped when she caught sight of Lightning's ice blue eyes watching her with amusement.

"You're not happening to be laughing at my hair, are you?", Lightning asked.

Vanille failed to hold back another giggle, "No, I like it."

Lightning let out a quite laugh and touched her hair, "Mmhhm, well then I like your pigtails."

She reached up to touch her own hair and laughed. The ponytails had moved during the night making hair fall from it's hold and the pigtails had moved to the top of her head. She quickly pulled out the ponytails and ran her hand through her hair to smooth out the tangles.

Lightning raised an eyebrow and she suddenly felt self-conscious, "What, did I miss something else?"

"No, no, it's just I've never seen your hair down. . it's nice", Lightning said shaking her head.

She smiled and felt butterflies in her stomach, _she's just too. . good for me. I'm pretty sure she was holding out on us when she didn't talk; she seems to be pretty good with words to me. _She shifted closer so that they were occupying the same pillow and cupped the soldier's face. Lightning's blue eyes shined brightly as she brushed Lightning's cheek with her fingers.

"How did you go from not saying much to saying all the right things?", she asked before leaning in to press her lips against Lightning's.

She closed her eyes as Lightning's arms slipped around her. She ran her fingers through the spiked pink hair and enjoyed every minute of it. Both of them were oblivious as the Lightning's door swung open and the tribeswoman stormed in. Vanille noticed though, when Lightning was ripped from her grasp and thrown onto the floor. Fang jumped onto Lightning and aimed a fist at her. Lightning struggled from Fang's grasp, but the Oerban's strength outmatched her own and there was an audible crack as the fist connected with her nose.

"I told you I was okay with you two, not that you could go have s- that you could sleep with her!", Fang yelled.

She jumped off the bed as Lightning and Fang wrestled on the ground. Lightning finally managed to slip free of Fang's grip and used her weight to keep the tribeswoman on the ground. Lightning drew back a fist and she grabbed it before Lightning could strike. Lightning whirled around and dropped her hand immediately once she saw it was her. Fang used to chance to shove Lightning off of her and step in front of her.

"Fang, what are you doing?", she asked as she tugged on the woman's sari.

Fang ignored her and snarled at Lightning, "What the hell do ya think you're doin'!"

Vanille glanced over at Lightning and flinched when she did. Lightning looked furious, blood running down her face from the hit. She could see Lightning's chest heaving up and down and assumed she was trying to calm herself.

Vanille blanched as Fang's accusation clicked, "What no, Fang-"

"Fang you're an idiot! That's all we did, _sleep_! Did you even think to see that we have clothes on!", Lightning growled back.

Fang glanced over her shoulder and met her eyes. The Oerban's eyes flickered over her, making sure Lightning's statement was true. Vanille placed her hands on her hips and gave her a look. The tribeswoman shook her head and rubbed her hand nervously.

"Really Fang?"

Fang scratched her head, her anger evaporated, "Oy, I just saw ya never came back last night and I came in this mornin'. You two were kissin' and I couldn't see anything 'cause the blanket. . I just assumed. . ."

Vanille sighed, "I can't believe you would just jump to that Fang."

Fang smirked sheepishly, "I'm sorry Van. . you too Lightnin', ya can give me a hit if ya want."

Vanille moved around Fang and started to approach Lightning, but stopped when she saw the anger blazing in them. This wasn't the gentle woman from this morning, this was the cold soldier and she was fuming. Though Lightning was showing her softer side more, she could go to extremes in a matter of seconds, . . _and right now she's full blown Lightning._

"I don't want a hit Fang, I want a damn break.", Lightning glared at Fang, her icy eyes holding flames behind them.

Lightning continued as she grabbed her gunblade, blood still running freely from her nose, "I've told you I will not harm Vanille and I promised I'll protect her with my life! I don't know what else you want me to say."

Fang gripped her arm to keep her from following Lightning as the soldier slammed the door on her way out, "Eh, ya may wanna wait love, let 'er blow some steam off. I've gotten 'er riled up and it's my fault."

"You're damn right it's your fault! You're gonna apologize to her later", she scolded her friend.

Fang groaned, but nodded and skirted out the door before she could instill more punishment. Fang was always so proud, so making her apologize again was bound to kill her. Vanille shook her head, _it was going so well this morning._ She silently hoped that this wouldn't make the soldier retreat back into her shell again, _please don't let this mess up what I've worked so hard to get._

She sighed and decided it would be best to let Lightning calm down before she found her, _maybe I can go talk to Serah._

xXx

Vanille looked over the sheet in front of her, trying to decide her next move. Serah had gotten her to play some Cocoonian game that involved trying to make squares out of a bunch of dots. At first she had just thought it was weird, but now she was determined to beat the younger pinkette. All she had to do was make sure she made the last side to the square and she would get a point, sometimes it would lead into more than one cube being formed.

Serah drew one line, making a side of the soon to be square, "Claire's been gone for a while."

"Yeah she has", she said and turned to glance at the clock.

Lightning had been gone the entire day, doing what, she had no clue. Vanille was slightly worried, but decided not to voice her concerns, _if anyone can handle themselves, it's Lightning._ After Lightning had stormed out she had decided to sit and wait for her soldier. Serah had come to join her, which is how they got the game started.

She decided to get some information, "Hey Serah."

"Hmm?", the pinkette didn't look up as she tried to figure out a strategy.

"What was Claire like before, well I met her?", Vanille said, loving they way 'Claire' sounded.

Serah head snapped up when she used Lightning's given name, her eyes narrowing, "She lets you call her that?"

"Yep!", she said with a quick shake of her head.

"That's so _cute_!", Serah cooed, her whole demeanor changing.

Vanille had to hold herself back from gushing over it with Serah, no doubt she would pick on her sister about it if she was given details. Serah grinned and nodded her head before looking back at her.

"I guess I can tell you anything since she told you that, it gives you like an all access pass", Serah giggled, "Just in general how she was?"

"Or whatever you want to tell me; I was just curious", she shrugged.

Serah tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Well, I mean she's always acted the same since. .our mom died."

Vanille winced, she didn't want her friend to go through bad memories. She just wanted to know more about the soldier, not upset the pinkette. She shook her head and opened her mouth to tell Serah she didn't have to talk about that, but Serah shook her head in return.

"No, you need to know this stuff. .We had already lost Dad a few years before, so when we lost Mom. . we were just alone. Claire didn't really _show_ anything when she died, just sat there when I cried and tried to comfort me. Then she became 'Lightning', I don't really know why she chose that name. . I guess it has something to do with that necklace Dad gave her awhile back. She got a job and supported us, kept me in school. I guess you know the rest after that", Serah said, smiling as she got lost in her memories.

Vanille nodded, "Sounds like she acted the same after that. .could you tell me how she acted before it, I mean. . If that's okay?"

"Oh yeah, Claire was. .happier before all that. Though. .", Serah said and gave her a wink, "She may not act entirely like her old self, but you've definitely made _Lightning_ the happiest I've ever seen her."

Vanille smiled and Serah continued, "She talked a lot more than she does now and not with that blunt tone she always uses. Claire would sometimes even play pranks on me, though I didn't find them very funny, she did. She was softer, I guess, with her words you could say? You wouldn't believe it, but Claire was quite the romantic. She loved those love stories in movies or books. . now she acts like she doesn't, but I think she still secretly like them."

Vanille could feel her cheeks heating up and tossed her head away from Serah, _I believe it. No wonder she can get me all off thought with a few words. _Serah raised an eyebrow at her and then her eyes lit up with realization.

"I see, Claire must be charming! Especially to get you so nervous and jumpy. I never really knew how she would act with someone, even before mom died, Claire never showed interest in anyone. This is kind of a cute experience for me to watch her falling in love and all", Serah connected a line and in turn set off a domino effect as she connected the remaining squares with a squeak of victory.

"I-", Vanille stopped as the door opened up.

Lightning strode through and stopped when she caught her gaze. The soldier's face had bruised around her nose where Fang's fist had landed. She felt a surge of irritation, _maybe I should've let her hit Fang once before I stopped them. _Serah grinned and shook the squares in her face before running out the open room.

She approached the soldier cautiously, careful not to crowd her in case she was still angry. Lightning nodded and then pulled her into her arms. She sighed, the worry cascading off of her as she nuzzled Lightning's neck. She felt Lightning's arms around her back, squeezing her gently.

"I was worried", she said, her voice muffled against Lightning's skin.

Lightning pulled back enough so they could face each other, "I got lost. .you shouldn't worry so much."

She rolled her eyes, "Y'know it's not that crazy for me to worry about you . .Claire."

Lightning's eyes softened and then the soldier reached behind her neck. Then her hands went to the back of her neck, brushing her redhair to one shoulder. She shivered as Lightning's fingers barely grazed her skin before she pulled away. She looked down to see the pendant Lightning always wore was now dangling around her neck. _Serah said her father gave her that necklace. ._, she looked up to Lightning to see her giving her a smile.

"There. .I'll always belong to you", Lightning said, the smile that was becoming not so rare anymore, still evident on her face.

She touched the bolt of lightning on the chain and Lightning leaned closer to her, her lips right beside her ear. She fought to stay still, tremors threatened to shake her. She waited as Lightning seemed to be searching for the right words.

"I love you", Lightning breathed into her ear and then withdrew.

Lightning rapidly and almost ran out the door, her speed leaving Vanille standing there. She was stunned and she darted out the door and looked down the hallway, only to find it empty. Vanille shook her head, _on second though, maybe I should thank Fang for this morning._

xXx

Vanille huffed and scanned the room for the pink haired soldier, but couldn't see her. _Where is she_?, she wondered. Everyone was gathered and ready to go, but their leader seemed to be missing. She hadn't saw Lightning since her confession last night. She had went to the soldier's room, but seeing it was empty decided to return to her own.

Serah glanced at her, "Is Sis not ready or something?"

"Ah, I'll go check", she said and skipped into the metal corridor.

There were clicks as boots skimmed over the flooring and Vanille turned her head into the sound's direction. Lightning appeared, her uniformed stride carrying her easily across the hall. The pink haired soldier froze when she saw her and dropped her eyes to the floor. Vanille giggled inwardly at Lightning's behavior and walked up to her before she could escape.

She wrapped an arm around Lightning's neck and used the other hand to tip up the soldier's chin, "I didn't think soldiers ran from anything, but . . . I love you too, Claire."

Lightning's azure eyes flickered towards her and she smiled to reassure the soldier. She giggled as Lightning smiled brightly. Lightning picked her up and spun around, both of them laughing. She was placed back on her feet and Lightning's nose brushed hers lightly. Lightning leaned down and pressed her lips against hers.

They pulled apart and Lightning took her hand, "It's time to go."

**Author's Note**

:p I lied, next chappy is when they set off and to the Vile Peaks, no less! Gonna go ahead and let it be known my updates may become a bit slower, like every other day. Band season's in (how lame) and I have practices tuesdays and thursdays, but I'll update whenever I finish a chapter. So please review people (I only got one review for the last chapter; what the hell, I'm starting to wonder if this story's good or not?)


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: All rights and property goes to Square Enix; I gain nothing but the benefit of writing.**

She felt a squeeze on her hand as they left the Historia Crux, their feet landing firmly on the ground. Lightning glanced to see Vanille looking up at her and giving her a smile. She let a small smile slip across her features before she turned and started surveying the area. She ignored the others as they exited the portal, only turning around to make sure Serah was fine.

_The Vile Peaks. . how many times must I come here?_ Lightning shook her head, none of the times she had been here were all that pleasant. The first time was a crash landing after becoming L'Cie, needless to say, that wasn't a great experience. She had also been here many times due to a paradox she had cause by an accident. Lightning still remembered leaving an image of herself here to tell Serah she missed her.

"Try not to go fighting Thexterons by yourself again", Vanille suggested lightly.

She smirked, remembering when Vanille had to wake the others after their crash landing to help her fight them off. She kissed the top of Vanille's head lightly and let go of her hand to look around. She nudged a piece of useless metal aside as Hope started explaining.

"When is this Hope?", Serah asked as she looked around, confusion evident on her face.

Hope walked a few steps forward, "I believe it's sometime during 10AF."

"But that's when. . ", Serah trailed off and looked at her.

She frowned, _Twilight Odin was here._ They would have to be careful if it came to a fight with her eidolon, his power was formidable not to mention when consumed with darkness. She had caused the paradox to happen unintentionally and it led to a twin of her eidolon's formation.

Hope nodded, "I know, just Lightning's presence caused a paradox to happen. We had to come here, there's something here that's holding a large amount of magic."

Fang whirled out her lance and held it in front of her, "A Fal'Cie?"

"Actually this one's not, it's the only one I could locate that isn't. I believe a crystal is in Twilight Odin", Hope said and looked off into the distance.

Snow scratched his head, "But kid, if we defeat Odin, won't it mess up what Serah and Noel did?"

Lightning sighed when Hope looked lost for words, "No, it was a paradox, they fixed it. This is another, caused by myself again, we fix it. Paradoxes mess up the timeline when they're present, not when they're fixed; it's like they never existed at all anyway."

Noel flipped the hilt of his sword in his hands, "That's what I don't get about paradoxes, if what you say is true Lightning, why am I still here?"

Lightning looked up to the sky to calm herself, "I've watched time itself being built and crumble, I know what I'm saying."

"Sis, he does make a point, how is he here?", Snow grinned at her.

She scowled at him, "I made a deal with Etro, you idiot, how do you think Vanille and Fang are here?"

Vanille rubbed her arm gently, concern in her eyes, "What was the deal Light?"

Lightning stopped herself from leaning into Vanille's touch and was glad she chose not to call her by her given name with the others around, "I'm to do what I've always done as her guardian, I protect the timeline as long as it's within my power."

Serah narrowed her eyes, "In your power? Is that why you had to become crystal?"

"Chose to become crystal", she corrected, "I'll do it again if we don't get a move on, I keep up my part and she keeps them here."

Vanille frowned, "If we don't find the crystals, you have to be crystallized again?"

"Yes", she breathed, trying not to be irritated with the way they were all looking at her.

"Then lets get going, yeah?", Fang asked and urged them to move along.

Fang gave her a nod and she returned it gratefully, _apology accepted Fang. _The tribeswoman smirked, understanding her perfectly. She was glad to have a battle partner that could read her on and off the battlefield.

She was about to fall in line behind the others, but was stopped when Vanille gripped her arm, "Claire, you're not going to become crystal again for me."

"_You_ and Serah. . as well as all the others, you're all paradoxes except Hope and Sazh", she stated.

Vanille's brows knitted together in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"You and Fang would still be in stasis unless some Fal'Cie released you and that would probably mean rebranding you. Snow would still be stuck in the Sunleth Waterscape. Noel wouldn't even exist and Serah would've. . . that vision would've killed her. . .I won't let any of that happen and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure it doesn't", she said it firmly in hope that Vanille would let it go.

She was wrong as Vanille shook her head stubbornly, "But Claire-"

"You guys comin'?", Fang yelled from up ahead.

_Saved me again Fang, I owe you a thanks, _she thought as she grabbed Vanille's hand and pulled her forward. Vanille still didn't look happy, but walked quietly beside her as Hope led the way. She frowned, she was supposed to make Vanille happy, not upset, _Wonderful job, soldier, she's pissed._ She let go of Vanille's hand and placed her arm around Vanille's shoulders. She brought her close enough to kiss her cheek, trying to show she was sorry, knowing she wasn't great when it came to apologies.

"That won't get you out of talking about it later Lightning", Vanille said in a unusually serious tone.

Vanille pulled away from her and joined Serah near the front of the group, leaving her wondering what happened. Her only clue was Snow grinning at her and shaking his head.

xXx

She swung her rod at the Uhlan, but let it return quickly seeing the thing was approaching her. Their attacks were barely damaging the hulk of metal and right now she was thinking she should've valued the benefit of being a magical L'Cie. Her rod's hooks couldn't latch on and therefore having no effect on it. The Uhlan drifted towards her and it's mechanical arm swung at her. There was no where to run and the others were busy dealing with the Pulsework Soldiers and Watchdrone's that had stumbled onto them. She shut her eyes and tensed, waiting for the hit to come.

She was shoved back a few feet as something much softer than she expected landed halfway on top of her. She opened her eyes to see Lightning sprawled out on top of her. Lightning groaned quietly, but made no attempt to move. She quickly leaned up and pulled the soldier into her arms.

"Lightning!", she yelled and started shaking her by the shoulder.

Lightning gasped and grabbed her hand to stop her shaking, "S-stop shaking me."

She released her hold on the soldier and looked over her for any injuries, but couldn't see any, "Are you okay?"

Lightning sat up and Vanille noticed her wrapping an arm around her abdomen, "Fine, just- move!"

She was stunned as the soldier tackled her and they rolled away as missiles slammed into the ground. She landed on top of Lightning and saw her wince in pain. Vanille gently got off the pinkette and Lightning sat upright.

She reached over and Lightning pulled away, flinching as pain ripped through her, "Claire what's wrong?"

Lightning shook her head, breathless, and clenched the hand around her abdomen into a fist. Vanille grabbed Lightning's shoulders and lowered her down slowly. She pulled Lightning's head into her lap and ran her fingers through the pink strands. She turned around when she heard shouting to see soldiers running in and immediately start shooting at their foes. The group pushed back and surrounded them protectively.

Fang tossed her head back and looked down at them, "Sunshine I appreciate it, you alright?"

Lightning nodded and stood up slowly, despite her protest. Serah walked up beside her and gave Lightning a concerned look when she heard Lightning's ragged breaths. They both glanced when the soldiers ran up, the one in the lead raising his hands in the air to show he was a friend.

"Sorry 'bout that, sometimes those things get out of control. . I'm Lieutenant Giligan, Guardian Corps", the lieutenant reached out his hand to Snow.

Snow shook it firmly and tossed his thumb at them, "Snow and thanks for the save man."

The lieutenant eyed them, "You all look like you've had it rough, why don't you come to camp and we can discuss your purposes being here."

Fang smirked at them, "Alrighty, we appreciate it. . I guess all soldier's don't have a stick up their arse like ours does."

The soldiers laughed and then they started to follow the Lieutenant, the rest of his squad backing up the rear. She glanced to her right to look at Lightning, seeing the soldier leaning over as she walked and not with her usual straight posture. Lightning caught her eye and gave her a small smile before straightening up, acting as if nothing's wrong.

The lieutenant dropped behind and nodded to Lightning, "Our medic can check you out when we get there, can't leave a fellow soldier down."

She smiled and nodded to the lieutenant, knowing Lightning would refuse due to her pride, "That would be great, thank you!"

"I'm fine", Lightning insisted and nodded to Fang, "She got hit in the head and I doubt she can spare the brain cells."

She turned to Fang to see the tribeswoman did have a gash over her left eye, "Then we'll get Fang looked at too."

Lightning scowled at the fact she was still included, but remained silent. She huffed at the silence, but let the soldier be. She was still slightly annoyed at the 'deal' Lightning had chosen to upkeep for them. It didn't seem fair in the slightest for Lightning to return for crystal for them.

She shook her head, _We won't let it come to that, _I _won't._

Her thoughts were pushed aside as she saw the soldier's base camp come into view. Tents and sleeping bags were scattered about as soldier's led them through. The lieutenant dismissed the other soldiers and nodded to one to stay.

"This is our medic, she'll help ya out. While they're doing that, the rest of you can come talk with me", he said as he gestured to the petite brunette beside him.

The medic saluted to Lightning which she returned, "Medic Fields at you're service, though you can call me Lauren; I don't like formalities."

Vanille felt irritation spike through her as the woman's gaze was on Lightning too long for her liking. Lightning raised an eyebrow at her as they followed the medic into a tent, but wisely didn't say anything. _Like I'm going to let Lightning go in there alone_.

She found a rag tossed into her hands and looked at the medic, "Can you clean up your friend's eye, I wouldn't be able to see anything with all that blood, while I take care of the sergeant?"

Vanille gritted her teeth and nodded as Fang sat in front of her, "Sure."

She could hear Lauren asking Lightning questions as Fang smirked at her, "What's wrong love?"

Vanille nodded her head towards the two soldier's direction and then glanced herself. Her stomach did a flip as she saw Lightning's overcoat was off, revealing the brown turtleneck underneath and the dark bruises just above her stomach. The medic put her hand on Lightning's stomach and traced her hand over the bruises, frowning when there was a bump.

Fang winced, "Oy, Sunshine's popped a rib, that bloody thing rammed her good."

Vanille felt conflicted; she was terribly worried for her soldier, but at the same time she wanted to slap that medic who's hand was lingering on Lightning. She shook her head and fidgeted with the necklace that hung around her neck_._ She took the rag and gently took hold of Fang's face to wipe away the blood.

"What's gotten you riled up", Fang repeated again in a whisper.

She bristled, "Lightning's blind if she doesn't see that medic likes her."

"Love, I don't think Lightnin's blind, I think you're lookin' into it too much", Fang chuckled as she shook her head.

She turned to look at Lightning again, paying attention to what Lauren was saying, "We have a healing manadrive, but I'll still have to push the rib back into place and you'll have to lay here for awhile to make sure it heals properly. You cool with that?"

Fang yelped and she turned around to have the rag grabbed from her, "Why don't ya go over there and hold Lightnin's hand or somethin' before ya poke out my eye?"

She giggled before nodding and taking her place at the soldier's side. Lightning looked up at her and she took her outstretched hand. The medic looked at them before nodding and pressing down on the jutting rib. She was expecting Lightning to clench her hand or show some pain, she remembered warriors passing out when she lived in the Dia clan from it, but Lightning merely closed her eyes. There was a pop and the medic skimmed her hand over it to make sure everything was in place.

There was a green hue as a cura illuminated Lightning's abdomen, Lauren activating the manadrive, "All right, just lay there for a few and it should be good to go after that."

The medic took a look at Fang's face before casting a cure on it and disappearing out the tent. Fang winked at them, the gash on her face slowly healing, and sauntered outside. She looked down at the soldier and brushed the pink bangs that had fallen.

Her eyes set on the bruises that were still lingering, "You shouldn't have did that."

Lightning's eyes opened up and she could see hints up fatigue in them, "I would be a liar if I didn't."

She tilted her head, "Hm? Oh really, okay, why's that?"

"I promised myself and Fang that I will let nothing harm you", Lightning simply stated.

"That'll give you a break from having to talk about your little deal 'til later", she said, unable to be mad at the woman while she was hurt protecting her.

Lightning sighed with what seemed to be relief and squeezed her hand gently. She returned the affection and watched with interest as the soldier huffed with irritation. Lightning's free hand started drumming on the ground and she giggled with realization, _She can't sit still._

Lightning leaned up and Vanille looked at her bewildered, "What are you doing, she said to stay down!"

"They always say that, I'm fine", Lightning shrugged as she clasped her jacket's buckles.

She huffed and fiddled with the lightning pendant, catching Lightning's attention, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. . just I think she liked you. . ", she said and looked up to avoid Lightning's gaze.

There was a quiet laugh, "Vanille how did you come to that?"

She shrugged her shoulders and then felt Lightning's hand cup her face, giving her no other choice but to meet the azure eyes, "It wouldn't matter even if she did; I love _you_."

Lightning leaned closer to her and brushed her lips against hers gently before repeating, "I love you."

She smiled as an idea came to her and reached around her neck to untie one of the many necklaces that hung there. She untied the leather necklace that had orange and teal criss-crossing around it, knowing Lightning would probably be too rough for one of the beaded necklaces to last. It had been a present from her clan's elders after killing the bear by herself, the very one who's pelt hung around her waist.

Lightning gave her a curious look as she leaned to the soldier to tie it around her neck. She tilted her head and smiled as Lightning traced her hand over it.

"There!", she clapped her hands.

Lightning nodded and kissed her forehead, "I love it. .we probably need to go see the others before they get themselves shot."

She giggled, thinking of Snow or Fang saying something less than satisfactory, "No, you stay here and lay down, I'll come get you if they need you."

Her heart almost broke at the look on Lightning's face, _that's as close to a pout as Lightning will ever do. _She stood up, but not before kissing the soldier briefly on the lips, and walked out the tent in search of the others.

**Author's Note**

I can definitely see Vanille walking away and leaving Lightning wondering what the hell just happened XD So Vanille experiences jealousy, thought it would be funny to add, don't worry I've got a plan for Lightning too! I know there wasn't much fightning, but I'm kind of an impulsive person, so instead of just making them run from battle to battle like I would typically do, I figured it's best to try and space things out for once. I didn't really like this chapter, it's weird how when you write something you can absolutely hate it, but I'll try and make the next one better. Read and review!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, it's all the wonderful creation of Square Enix.**

She followed the other soldier's directions until she spotted the group huddled around a small campfire, the lieutenant among them. She took a spot beside Serah and the pinkette immediately turned to her.

"Is Claire okay?", Serah whispered so not to bother the conversation going on in front of them.

Vanille nodded, "I had to make her stay though, so it could finish mending."

Serah rolled her eyes, "Typical Lightning."

"Yep!. . What's goin' on?", she asked and nodded her head to the lieutenant.

Serah followed her nod to spy the lieutenant, "He apologized for all those attacks at us; said that all those monsters have been ran out of their usual spots because they're frightened by Twilight Odin. He asked why we're here and Hope told him we are going to take care of their problem."

Vanille hummed, "Any clue how we can do that without magic?"

"Ah, no. . I still can't believe I can't conjure it anymore, I was just drained after that vision.", Serah shook her head in frustration.

She nodded, she understood where Serah's frustrations were coming from. Lightning, Fang, and Snow were really the only ones who could actually put up a fight without magic. If she couldn't help out more she was sure that Lightning or Fang would always get hurt because of her. _I know they're just trying to protect me, but. . I _can't_ stand it when they get hurt. _

The lieutenant's voice cut through her thoughts, "Y'all are welcome to stay here the night and tomorrow I can have a few soldiers escort you to where that beast is always attacking us."

"Thank you Lieutenant I think we will take you up on that offer", Hope said after receiving nods from everyone.

Lieutenant Giligan called a soldier to attention, "Just follow him and he'll take you to some spare tents, should be two spares Emory."

The soldier gestured for them to follow and fell into step beside her. Vanille took a step sideways when the soldier's arm brushed hers, uncomfortable with the lack of distance between them. _I'm starting to regret making Lightning rest more, _she thought when the soldier was once again, walking closely to her.

He led them to two, large spare tents as per requested by his superior and offered his hand to her, "Sergeant Emory, nice to meet you Miss. . ?"

The others disappeared into the tents; one for the guys and one for the girls. Serah gave her an apologetic look before slipping into the tent. She could see Fang talking to another soldier about their battles with Twilight Odin when she looked around.

"Vanille", she said after shaking his hand.

She tried to release her grip on his hand, but he held it firmly for a second longer and then let go. Vanille held back the urge to run away when he stared at her, _Oh maker. . _

He gave her a lopsided smile, "Vanille. . that's a nice name, where's it from?"

"Oerba, but, umm, if you'll just let me slip past ya there, I can go to the tent", she said, trying to maneuver past the soldier standing in front of the tent.

He held out an arm to block her and gave her another smile. _I want Lightning _now_. . but I guess she would've punched him by this point. _She ignored commotion behind her and was about to push past him when he lightly got hold of her arm.

"Hey, I'm just trying to talk here", he said and his eyes flickered behind her.

The hand on her arm was shoved off roughly and she looked to see Lightning standing beside her. She glanced down to see Lightning's hand clench into a fist and quickly wrapped her arms around her soldier's right arm. _At least she can't hit him, _she thought, knowing Lightning favored her right hand.

She met Lightning's gaze and realized the soldier would probably use her left hand if provoked, _on second thought. .maybe I should grab both her arms._

xXx

Lightning felt horrible.

It wasn't from her still sore ribs, no, it was from what was displayed right in front of her.

She had waited for maybe half and hour before deciding she had laid there long enough. She had set out in search for her family and had been told that they were settling here for the night. Lightning had found them and now was seeing this.

A soldier, perhaps the same rank as herself from his insignia, was blocking Vanille from the tent. She could tell Vanille was nervous, her frantic sideways glances were a hint by themselves. It made her feel sick that this soldier would even think to talk to her, much less smile like he was at her. She could see him talking to Vanille and the redhead was answering him, while still trying to get around him.

Then he raised his hand to block her path.

She walked forward stiffly and had all intentions of slamming her fist straight into his face. . that is until Fang grabbed her. She struggled against Fang's hold, but it was putting pressure on her healing ribs, causing her to gasp for breath in a matter of seconds.

"Fang, what are you doing!", she ground out through her teeth.

"Oy, calm down Sunshine, we can't have ya gettin' in fights when they're lettin' us stay here. Vanille can handle 'erself", Fang stated, but her constant glances at the other Oerban contradicted her words.

"I don't give a damn what they're doing for us!", she thrashed against Fang's grip, but it was useless as her ribs screamed in protest.

She looked towards Vanille again and her mouth almost dropped open when the soldier grabbed Vanille's arm.

Fang let go of her, "Ah, yep, go get 'em Lightnin'."

She ripped away from the tribeswoman and immediately met the man's brown eyes. He grinned at her and she stepped up behind Vanille to shove the arm off. Vanille spun around and her eyes glittered with happiness when she first saw her, but it quickly turned into fear. . fear for the other soldier. Lightning huffed when Vanille latched onto her right arm, an attempt to keep her from lashing out she assumed. She rolled her eyes, _I can use my left hand perfectly fine. _

Her resolve to hit the sergeant in front of her crumbled when Vanille looked at her again with pleading eyes. She sighed and Vanille smiled when she knew she had won. Lightning returned her glare onto the soldier.

"I suggest you not touch her again", she growled.

He squared his shoulders and looked down at Lightning, trying to intimidate her with his height, "And if I do?"

Vanille squeaked and shoved Lightning into the tent. She pushed the soldier down with all her weight, trying to avoid the flames in Lightning's eyes. _Lightning can easily push me off, _she realized and quickly put her hands on either side of Lightning's head.

"Please, just let it go", she begged, seeing Lightning wasn't jumping up immediately.

"Vanille, get off or I'll just move you", Lightning made her point by easily leaning up so their noses brushed.

Seeing no other option, Vanille pressed Lightning down again and kissed her. She smiled into the kiss as Lightning made no other move to get up. _I should get her mad more often_, she thought, seeing Lightning's anger could easily be redirected. Lightning's hand skimmed over her stomach before settling on her hip. A cough to the side caused her to pull away and glance to see Serah squeezing her eyes shut.

"You know I was curious what would happen, but not _this _curious", Serah's face was a light red, a curse from the Farron's fair complexion.

Lightning cleared her throat and she quickly scrambled off the older Farron, ignoring Serah's muffled giggles, "Vanille, you totally drown out those soldier senses Claire has; she didn't even know I was here!"

Lightning scowled and shook her head before looking to the tent's opening. A second later Fang crawled in, a smirk on her face.

She held up sleeping mats, "Only two, so unless ya want me sleepin' with yer sister, then I guess I'm sharin' with Van."

Lightning leaned over and kissed her head before settling down beside Serah, then picked up her head, "Is _he_ still out there?"

"Nope, ran 'em off for ya. I must say, he's bloody persistent though", Fang smirked.

She eyed Lightning warily, "Promise ya want go hit him as soon as I fall asleep?"

". . I promise I won't hit him as soon as you fall asleep", Lightning said, not giving any hint to what she was thinking.

Vanille huffed and closed her eyes, _I guess that's the best I can get._

xXx

Lightning checked to make sure they were asleep before slipping out the tent. She looked up at the rising sun, _kept my promise to Vanille. I'm doing it after I woke up, seems good enough._ Lightning cracked her knuckles, a full night's rest and the healing from yesterday had left her feeling refreshed. She glanced around, _where is that bastard?_

"Whatcha doin' Sunshine?"

Lightning fought the urge to groan as she turned around to see the tribeswoman smirking, "Just scouting around."

Fang raised her eyebrows, "Oh yeah, not for a particular soldier?"

"If I was?", she asked.

Fang shrugged, "Then I'll help ya find 'em."

Lightning nodded and Fang walked along side her, whistling a little tune. _At least Fang think it's right to hit him, I don't understand why Vanille wouldn't let me._

"Ah, she just never wants anyone gettin' hurt 'cause of her, even if that bloody soldier is askin' for it", Fang said, making her realize she had voiced her concerns.

She let her shoulders drop, "I think I'm going to have to deal with Vanille being angry with me than let him get away without a black eye."

"I'd give ya a black eye if ya didn't hit 'em", Fang said and smirked at her.

She rolled her eyes and caught a glimspe of the soldier as he walked out of a tent. She quickly strode in front of him and held out her arm to block him, as he had done Vanille. He looked surprised for a minute, but quickly covered it with a grin.

"Well, hello there. Y'know I realized that you were just jealous over me paying attention to your friend, so why don't I make it up to you?", he said, the smug grin still donned on his face.

Lightning stared at him, _how stupid is he? . . What are the requirements to being a soldier in this time?_ She could hear Fang's laugh behind her and turned to tell the woman to be quiet, but a hand gripped her shoulder.

Her first reaction was to grab the offending limb and heave, flipping the man over her and straight onto his back. Everyone fell silent as the man jumped back up, fist raised. Adrenaline started to rush through her veins as the soldiers formed a circle around them; the fight was on.

xXx

Vanille groaned as shouts from outside brought her from her sleep. She picked up her head and started to rub her eyes, looking around the tent. Both Fang and Lightning were missing, _oh Etro._ She quickly jumped over to Serah and shook the sleeping pinkette's shoulders.

'W-what Vanille?", Serah mumbled.

She reached over and opened the tent before pulling it back for Serah to see. There was a crowd of soldiers cheering and yelling at something. Over it all, she could hear Fang's roaring laughter.

"Maker, what's going on?", Serah asked, suddenly wide awake.

Vanille huffed and pointed to their missing sisters, "I'm thinkin' that they probably have something to do with it.

Serah's mouth formed an 'O' and they both scrambled out the tent. The soldiers had gathered all around the middle of the camp, cheering at some times. Vanille stood on her toes, but couldn't see past them. Instead, a blur of blue caught her eyes and she ran around the circle before making her way to Fang. The guys were standing beside Fang, also engaging in the cheering. Once she got to where Fang was standing, she could see perfectly well what was going on in the center of the circle.

Vanille sighed, _I guess I should've expected this. _Lightning had her fist up, watching the soldier in front of her. Vanille giggled when Emory threw a punch at Lightning and her soldier easily ducked up under it before throwing one to the man's gut. The soldiers cheered and Vanille held herself from adding a yell herself. Sergeant Emory yelled in frustration and ran straight at Lightning, tackling her to the ground. She bit her tongue as Lightning's head slammed into the ground.

Fang chuckled, "Boy's in for it now."

She glanced back and Lightning had the man's head ducked up under her arm. She could see the muscles in Lightning's arms rippling as Lightning tightened her hold on the man's neck. Vanille could see the man thrashing in Lightning's grip, but to no avail with Lightning's steel hold.

Noel rubbed his own neck, "Lightning's got quite the hold. . "

"I bet she makes him pass out before he has the chance to tap", Snow gambled.

Vanille didn't add her own comment, she was too busy watching Emory throwing reckless punches to Lightning's side. Lightning didn't even wince as each blow hit her side, her only energy being spent by strangling the man. The soldier's hits slowed until his hands dropped limply by his side and Lightning released her hold on the man.

There were roars of approval as soldiers rushed to congratulate Lightning, a few running to the other sergeant to try and wake him. Lightning nodded to them before pushing past to step up to her.

Lightning had a layer of sweat over her and still chose to give her a small smile, "Good morning?"

xXx

"Lieutenant Giligan, sir, she's really sorry", Vanille insisted.

The lieutenant raised an eyebrow at Lightning, who just shrugged, "I'm sure. . . but it's quite okay. That soldier thought very highly of himself, it's about time someone pushed him off his stool."

The lieutenant nodded to them before walking up ahead to talk with his soldiers. They were setting out to find Twilight Odin and a few soldiers were going to escort them. Lightning offered her hand and she gently took it.

Lightning kissed her cheek, "Still mad?"

She tossed her head to the side, "Yes."

Lightning smirked and kissed her forehead, nose, and finally her lips before looking at her, "You sure?"

"Yep", she could barely contain her squeals as Lightning pulled her closer and started pressing light kisses over her face.

"Okay, okay! You're forgiven, but was it necessary to choke him out?", a giggle escaped her as Lightning nodded her head vigorously.

"He defin-"

"Look out!", a soldier yelled.

She looked up to see huge chunks of rocks falling off the side of the chasm they were traveling through. Twilight Odin could be seen standing at the top before the boulders falling down blocked her vision. Lightning pushed her down and knelt over her as the first rocks came down. Her vision went black as she heard the shouts of pain from the rocks crashing onto them.

**Author's Note**

I just realized when I tried to say Serah's mouth formed an 'O' it made a funny little face XD So there's the next chappy; probably won't update this weekend, so expect the next on Monday! Read and Review please! ^.^


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: All rights go to and are the property of Square Enix.**

Lightning's eyes fluttered open, only to reveal darkness. She could feel Vanille up under her and quickly placed her palms down on the ground to push off. The rocks didn't budge, only leaving her feeling exhausted.

"Claire, you're awake", Vanille's relieved voice came out from up under her.

She tried to push up again, but Vanille's squeak stopped her, "Wait! You don't know how much is on us, what happens if it all falls on us again?"

"What happened?", she asked, remembering the rocks falling on them and then nothing.

"I think Twilight Odin caused the rockslide, but after that it got quiet. I can hear some people moving about, but I don't think anyone's free yet. . Are you okay?", Vanille's concern was clear in her voice.

Her thoughts went to the throbbing pain in her back, _nothing to worry her about_, "I'm fine, are you?"

"Yep!", Vanille's body shifted and she assumed the girl was nodding.

"Sis?"

Lightning blinked in the darkness, _of course that giant would be able to get out first_, "Snow, is Serah okay!"

She could hear rocks being shifted and could see light filtering through the widening cracks, "Yeah, a bit dusty, but she's alright!"

"What about Fang?", Vanille yelled.

Another boulder was moved and Lightning tensed as all the rocks started to shift. Rocks cascaded down on her and she made sure to tuck Vanille underneath her. Lightning grunted as she was pelted with rocks. The flow of rocks halted and there was silence.

"Oops", Snow muttered.

Lightning felt something reach down and grab her by the collar, immediately she grabbed hold of Vanille. The hand hauled her and Vanille out of the pile in one smooth motion before depositing them on the floor. Fang had her hands on her hips and was peering down at them.

Lightning helped Vanille stand up before a blur of pink crashed into her, "You're okay!"

"Yeah, glad you are too, I guess Snow is good for something", she huffed and patted her sister's head.

Vanille gave Fang a quick hug before looking up, "Where's Odin?"

Lightning let her gaze fall on the redhead, making sure she was alright. Vanille had a layer of dust over her clothes and her hair had a brown tint in spots. Her eyes stopped on a cut on Vanille's forehead.

"You're hurt", she stated as she took Vanille's face into her hands to inspect the cut.

Vanille kissed her lightly and brushed her hands off, "So are half the people here, including you. I think I can handle a scratch."

Vanille's emerald gaze didn't waver when their eyes met and she broke the staring to look at her feet. It confused her to no end how Vanille could be so playful one minute to matching her glares the next. She shook her head, _I should've remembered from being L'Cie, she hid knowing her focus so well. _She could still remember that Vanille's cheery disposition had tricked them all when she didn't want to tell that Fang had become Ragnarok.

Vanille's true personality had been revealing itself to her more and more. Not to say that she wasn't happy a lot, because she was quite cheerful most of the time. _I just never realized how stubborn she can be_, Lightning thought and shook her head.

Noel cleared his throat, "The soldiers are keeping him back, we should probably go help them."

Lightning looked up, the fight that was going over the cliff's side reaching her ears. They needed to get up there and fast, Odin wasn't something to be handled lightly. Her eyes quickly identified a route she could take up the rocky side. She ran and leapt onto the first balcony of rocks. She jumped up again and grabbed hold of an overhanging edge, swinging herself up onto it.

Lightning glanced down to see the others making their way slowly up. She chuckled as she caught sight of Vanille trying to haul herself up. Her heart lurched as the little hold Vanille did have on the rock, slipped and the girl started to fall. She launched herself off the edge and plunged straight for the redhead. At the last second she caught hold of a suitable rock and latched onto Vanille's wrist.

Vanille looked up from dangling below her and giggled, "Nice timing!"

She grunted as she pulled the Pulsian onto her back and felt slender arms wrap around her neck. She started to climb the rocks, thinking it was the best method instead of leaping with Vanille on her back. She tried to focus on listening to the fight overhead; the sounds of guns going off ringing in her ears.

"It sounds like they're having trouble", Vanille mumbled in her ear.

She nodded and finally placed both hands on the edge before nodding to Vanille, "Climb over me."

Vanille did as instructed and climbed over the edge before offering her a hand. She took it, but relied on her own strength as she pulled herself over the cliff's edge. She clenched her jaw as she saw most of the soldiers down. Twilight Odin finished off the last of them with seismic strike. Lightning tensed as her chaotic eidolon set it sights on them.

She hated taken arms up on her own ally, but he could possibly hurt Vanille and that's all the reason she needed to raise her sword, "Target's a target."

In an instant Twilight Odin was upon them and raising his sword, Zantetsuken, to drive it on them. His Crushing Blow was literally just that and it almost forced Lightning to her knees to push it back, even with both hands on her blade. _Damn. . _she thought and gritted her teeth. Another shove from her chaotic eidolon sent her staggering back.

She and Hope had enough of a problem last time and now they were without magic. _How the hell are we going to beat this?_ She glanced over her shoulder to see the others climbing over, Fang smirking at her enemy. _At least there's more people to help this time._

Fang sauntered up and pointed her lance at Twilight Odin, "What's the plan?"

She looked at the eidolon, it had taken up Ullr's Shield to study it's enemies. They needed the crystal he possessed and in order to get that they had to defeat him. Even without Etro's magic, she could sense the chaotic heart beating inside the eidolon.

"We kill him", she shrugged.

Snow pounded his fists, "All right! Charge in guns blazing!"

She rolled her eyes, but they landed on the now advancing eidolon. Fang ran up to swing her lance but it was rapidly met with Zantetsuken. There was a whoop from Fang as she locked weapons with the eidolon and nodded to her. Lightning dashed forward, flicking her weapon into gun form to fire off a few shots. Another flick of her wrist rotated it into her blade and she raised it over her head. She slashed down on Twilight Odin's armor, causing cracks to form. She looked up to see Odin raise his hand and the lightning followed. The thundara shocked her to the core and her knees threatened to collapse under her. Lightning shook her head trying to clear it from her daze.

It was just in time as Odin slammed an equally dazed Fang out of the way and swung Zantetsuken at her. The flourish of steel hacked away at her and she fumbled to bring up her sword in time to parry each strike. A slash caught her shoulder and she flipped backward to avoid another blow. Snow rushed past her and she tilted her head, _idiot. He should know better than strike head on, he's probably-_

Snow crumbled into a heap on the ground as Odin's sword slammed down on him, using crushing blow again. Fang ran forward to protect him and stepped into a defensive stance. She immediately knew Fang wouldn't be able to hold back Twilight Odin's strength for long, with or without magic.

She turned to Vanille, "You and Serah get Snow and drag him out of here!"

"Please!", she added when Vanille opened her mouth to object.

Vanille nodded and the two darted forward to grab Snow. Hope ran up and started pulling him along when the two alone weren't enough. She returned her attention on the battle after seeing they were safe.

Noel swung his sword at Odin, the huge blade slicing through the air as it met it's target. Twilight Odin raised his hand and Lightning flinched as a thundaga struck straight down onto Noel. The explosion shook the ground and she had to hold up a hand to shield it from the light, the thunderous noise deafening her for a moment. She looked back up to see Noel dropping to his knees and his torso following after.

_This isn't working!_ Lightning surveyed the area frantically, searching for something, _anything_, that could help them. She rapidly went over what she knew from Odin, even going so far as to her first time fighting him. She remembered her and Hope dueling the eidolon in front of the waterfall.

She threw herself sideways as a thundara wracked the area. Lightning's head snapped up, _water!_ She raised her sword as Odin advanced to her, tensing her muscles for the abuse that was to come. She watched the chaotic knight bend down and swing the sword into a 360, throwing everyone into the air. She landed on her side harshly after the skyward swing and looked to see Fang rising from the hit.

"Fang, follow me!", she yelled.

Without waiting for an answer, she relied on her memory of the Vile Peaks to carry her to the waterfall.

xXx

Vanille glanced up to see Lightning running off with Fang right on her heels, the chaotic eidolon following closely.

"What are they doing?", she asked.

Serah gently slapped Snow's face before meeting her eyes, "I don't know. . "

Serah looked up after seeing she had fallen silent, "Go follow them."

She smiled and nodded, "You got it!"

Vanille ran after them, nowhere close to catching up with them. _Where is Light going?_, she thought as they ran through the curved valley of debris. Vanille's ears perked as the roar of crashing water hit her ears. They reared around the curve and a bridge came into sight. Fang darted past Twilight Odin to grab her and pull her to them.

Fang twirled her spear, "What do ya 'ave in mind Sunshine?"

"Throw me at him."

Lightning rolled her eyes at their looks, "Fang doesn't need magic to throw me. . unless she's not strong enough."

Vanille raised an eyebrow, _what is she playing at?_

Fang huffed, "I'll throw ya alright, but if this bloody doesn't work, I'm drownin' ya!"

Lightning somersaulted as Zantetsuken slammed into the ground where she previously was. Vanille moved backward as Lightning ran straight at Fang, who was positioned sideways with one hand thrown out to the side. Lightning leaped and grabbed Fang's hand who swung her around once before letting her fly at the eidolon. Vanille watched in wonder as Lightning soared through the air, flicking open her sword. Lightning plowed straight into Twilight Odin, her sword stabbing it in the chest as it broke through the armor.

Vanille watched in horror as the momentum sent the chaotic knight staggering back until he backed off the bridge, Lightning still attached to him.

"Lightning!", she screamed as she dropped onto the ground to look over the bridge.

Lightning's figure was but a blur as she plunged straight into the crashing waters with her sword still in her eidolon. Vanille held her breath as they disappeared into the white foam the crashing waters had formed.

"Come on Sunshine, where ya at?", Fang mumbled as she knelt down beside her.

The seconds ticked by and Vanille could hear her heart pounding. _Oh Etro please, no. . _She bit back the tears that were threatening to spill over and shook her head, _she's not. . .she _can't _be. ._Fang glared at her when she let out a shrill yell as Lightning's pink head broke the surface. Her heart dropped as Twilight Odin emerged from the water.

Fang grabbed her and pulled her to the end of the bridge, "We need to get down there."

She looked around, "How?"

Fang smirked and she shuffled her feet nervously as Fang pointed to the rocky slope, "We slide of course."

"What are you- you're crazy!", she said as she looked down the steep hill.

Fang shrugged, "Don't wanna get left behind, do ya? Too bad we don't have that gizmo this time."

She had no time to complain as Fang grabbed her and jumped. She looked down as they started to slide and saw a sheet of metal up under them. She gripped Fang's arms that were securely around her and shut her jaw to keep it from snapping together with every bump.

"You could've told me!"

She heard Fang's laugh in her ear, "That's how _we_ get around on Cocoon!"

Fang wrapped her arms around her as the ground flattened out and they were sent rolling forwards. She giggled as Fang pulled her up and then scanned their surroundings for Lightning. The water dropped off from the cliff to form the enormous waterfall that emptied into a pond at the bottom. She could see Lightning's soaked form engaging with Twilight Odin in the pond. Every slash Odin threw at her, she dodged with her incredible speed,even through the water.

Seeing that he couldn't hit her, Odin threw out his hand and summoned the lightning. Lightning darted forward and slammed her sword into him again, chips of armor flying off. The thundaga made the earth rumble and the sparks danced across the water. Lightning's form snapped straight as the electricity coursed through her, conducting with the water to create a powerful shock. Lightning's yells of pain sent her feet moving before she even knew what was happening.

"That bloody shock was even more than Odin could absorb", Fang spat out as they ran.

She barely glanced at the eidolon to see he had collapsed as well, his armor cracked and dented. She turned her gaze back on her kneeling soldier before Lightning looked up at them.

"Fang, attack before he recovers!", Lightning's voice was hoarse as she yelled.

Fang nodded and whirled her spear around before pointing it at Twilight Odin, "Eat this!"

Fang charged the chaotic eidolon and swung her lance, stabbing straight through him. Cracks shot up through the knight and then he dissolved into rose petals. The petals were dark as night and fluttered down, swinging back and forth as they descended. They landed gently around a glittering crystal sphere.

Fang examined the newest treasure as Vanille waded through the shallows to Lightning. The soldier's head was slumped downward with her hands dangling by her side and knees resting in the water. She knelt beside Lightning and the pinkette dropped forward. She quickly wrapped her arms around Lightning and pulled her head to her shoulder.

"Well, that wasn't scary at all", she joked.

Lightning let out a light breath and she knew the soldier was too exhausted to laugh. She could feel Lightning's heart fluttering against her chest as she ran her fingers through Lightning's hair.

She tilted Lightning's head up and could see from the glazed over blue eyes she was losing consciousness, "Things are gonna get ugly if you ever do something like that again. .. you can't leave me."

"I-. .I won't ever leave you", Lightning promised, her voice barely audible.

"Goodnight, sunshine", Fang smirked, seeing Lightning's shoulders drop forward as the soldier gave up the battle to stay awake.

Vanille sighed as Fang scooped Lightning out her arms, _One down, three to go. . how can we do this again? _

**Author's Note**

:p a bit of fightning for ya; read and review please ^.^


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I own nothing; all rights and property are Square Enix's.**

Vanille hand brushed Lightning's cheek gently as the others conversed around the fire. Snow was fine, the huge man had woken up moments ago. Both Lightning and Noel were still unconscious after being electrocuted from the eidolon. They had decided to wait until the morning to return back to Bhulenvize.

Fang tossed the crystal to Hope, "There ya go kid, got what we needed here, yeah?"

"Yes, we'll go back to Bhulenvize so I can put this away and then we'll head out again", Hope nodded as he flipped the crystal in his palm.

She looked up from Lightning, "Where to next Hope?"

The director glanced between her and Fang, "You two may find this intriguing. . Sulyya Springs back when the tribes were still occupying Pulse."

"_Gran_", Fang corrected, "What time do ya think it is?"

"A century before you two went into stasis, so I doubt you would know anyone. Maybe know _of_, but not actually _know._", Hope shrugged.

"If we did, would it be alright to speak to anyone or. . ", she trailed off, not knowing exactly what could happen.

Hope rubbed his chin, "It's a paradox that the Fal'Cie have the crystals, so if you talk to someone during it- I can't imagine it would alter anything. As soon as we leave, that time is erased from the timeline, as if it never happened."

A hand slipped into hers and she felt an arm brush against hers. She glanced sideways to see Lightning sitting upright beside her. Vanille sighed with relief, _she's okay_. She restrained the urge to kiss the soldier, thinking it was best when they were alone. Instead, she chose to lean against Lightning, enjoying the warmth she provided.

"You okay?", she asked into the soldier's ear.

Lightning slightly smiled and murmured, "Fine."

Fang clapped Lightning's shoulder, "Good ta see ya up mate, that was quite the horrible plan ya had."

Noel shook his head as he sat up, "Why, what did she do?"

"Bloody idiot fell of the bridge and got Odin ta shock 'em both. That wasn't too bright Light, he absorbs lightnin'. . or did ya forget?", Fang taunted.

Lightning huffed, "Water conducts lightning, I assumed it would amplify that thundaga enough to weaken Twilight Odin and you could take care of the rest."

She nuzzled Lightning's shoulder, "Fang's just mad that she didn't come up with it."

Fang snorted, "Says the girlfriend who was screamin' murder."

She felt her cheeks heat up, _so what if I was scared? I have every right to be 'upset' if Lightning was hurt . . or _worse. Lightning brought her hand up to her lips and kissed the back of it gently.

"What Fal'Cie are we after this time?", Serah asked, cleverly getting the attention off her friend.

Vanille nodded her thanks as Hope started to speak, "My readings suggest it's the Fal'Cie Bismarck that holds another crystal."

Snow grinned, "That big fish? I can't imagine that'll be too hard to deal with."

"It's a huge whale, probably mistake you for bait; see how you deal with that", Lightning sneered.

She giggled as Serah shot Lightning a look and only got a shrug in return. Vanille continued to watch as it seemed the Farron sisters were having a silent argument. Lightning shook her head as their eyes flashed different hues of blue from the fire.

Lightning crossed her arms and huffed, "A whale couldn't even eat him anyway."

"I don't want to find out if it will", Serah stated and raised an eyebrow.

"That all depends if Snow's running his mouth and so happens to fall into the water", Lightning shrugged.

Vanille nudged Lightning's shoulder gently in an attempt to calm the soldier down, "And then you would have to go get him."

Lightning opened her mouth to object, but stopped and her shoulders dropped. Vanille squeezed her hand, she was still surprised how quickly Lightning would stop just by her saying something. Fang leaned over and patted her head, signaling she was going to bed. The others started to take their leave and duck into the tents.

Serah stopped and glanced at the both of them, giving them a wink after a moment, "Guess you met your match, Claire."

Vanille giggled and waved a quick bye to Serah before turning to Lightning. The soldier had laid down and her eyes were closed. She took her place beside Lightning and snuggled into the soldier's side.

"Do you want to stay out here tonight?"

She looked up to Lightning's blue eyes and nodded. They already had sleeping mats out here and she much preferred to see the starry sky than the inside of a tent. Lightning pulled her close and wrapped strong arms around her narrow waist. She also much preferred sleeping next to Lightning.

Lightning winced when she moved to place her head over the soldier's collarbone, immediately halting her actions, "Claire?"

"I'm fine. . just a bit sore", Lightning insisted and gently guided her head back down.

"Vanille", Lightning's voice rumbled in her chest as she spoke, "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Just. . .ask for help next time, _before_ you go and do it alone, okay? I promise I'll help you, we do it together.", she said, almost pleaded to the pinkette.

"Right", Lightning murmured before kissing her head.

She glanced up to meet those calm eyes, "I love you."

Lightning leaned down and they shared a gentle kiss before laying back down, "I love you too."

Vanille snuggled closer, butterflies flying around her stomach and couldn't imagine how this could be any better.

xXx

Vanille came to slowly, welcoming the hand that was stroking her hair smoothly. She opened her eyes to meet the slope of Lightning's neck. Lightning tensed when she buried her face into her neck.

"Morning", Lightning breathed quietly.

She spared a glance up and was shocked to see the sun hadn't yet risen, "Did you wake me up?"

"No, it was probably that moron", Lightning tossed her head into the guys' tents direction.

She picked up on the chorus of snores sounding from inside and giggled, "Snow?"

"Of course", Lightning huffed.

She closed her eyes, but quickly realized she wasn't able to succumb to sleep again. She sighed and nodded to herself, _might as well get it over with._

"What's your deal with Etro?"

Lightning groaned and kissed her head, "Leave it, I do my part and she does hers; that's all."

Vanille picked her head up and gave her best glare to Lightning, "That's not _all_, I want to know exactly what it is."

Lightning removed her hands that were wrapped around her and threw them into the air, "I've already told you; I protect the timeline from anything that threatens it. That's what I do, I'm her guardian. In return she keeps my family here and it's an agreement I'll gladly keep."

"Why are you getting angry, I'm just trying to help you", she calmly told Lightning, trying to soothe the now angered soldier.

_Why is she so fired up?_. . Vanille couldn't understand it. If the soldier told them things, they could actually help and prevent anything from happening. They had a plan already and they were going through with it, _so why doesn't she want to talk about it?_ She pushed herself up off the soldier and crossed her arms.

Lightning sighed and stood up, taking her face into her hands, "I'm sorry. . everything will work itself out, okay?"

"But you don't think you'll be there, you think you're going to become crystal again", she realized.

". . I'm just. . prepared for the worst", Lightning's eyes darted downwards, not meeting hers.

"Can't you hope for the best though?", she asked as she moved forward.

Their lips met and Lightning's hands dropped to settle on her waist. She loved kissing Lightning, she couldn't get enough of it. She wrapped her arms around the soldier's neck to keep her from pulling away, though she doubted she would. It was easier to convey their feelings through it, much easier than words when it came to Lightning. Lightning pulled back slightly and she heard Lightning inhale sharply. She opened her eyes when the soldier didn't kiss her again and jumped back when Lightning's eyes were glowing with Etro's symbol.

She fell down and placed a hand over her thudding heart, "Oh geez!"

Lightning stood still, oblivious to the world around her as Vanille tried to calm down. _Great timing Etro_, Vanille pouted as she brushed herself off. She stood on the tips of her toes to peer into Lightning's eyes. The symbol was pulsating with light, blinking in and out instead of it's usual steady glow. _Bad reception?_, she giggled. She bit back a scream as Lightning's hand darted out and grabbed her arm.

"Sorry", Lightning muttered as she released her arm and pinched the bridge of her nose.

She tilted her head at the soldier, "It's fine. . what did you see?"

Lightning rubbed her temples, "I can't- it wasn't clear, Etro was trying to tell me something. . I just couldn't see it, I just have a bad feeling."

She put her hands on her hips, "You shouldn't be so negative."

Lightning grunted and her eyes focused on something behind her, turning around, she saw Serah stretching as she stood up. Serah gave her a little wave before quickly hugging Lightning. She glanced at the guys' tent to see Fang kicking it from the outside. There was a shuffle inside the tent and then Snow squeezed out of it.

"We need to find bigger tents", Snow suggested as he kissed Serah's head.

"They probably don't make extra la-", Vanille clamped her hand over Lightning's mouth to avoid further arguing between the two.

Snow grinned, giving her a thumbs up as she giggled. Lightning scowled and brushed her hand off, but didn't finish her sentence. She nuzzled Lightning's arm to show her appreciation as everyone got up. Lightning gave her a small smile before nodding to the others.

"Get ready to go, Hope, I'm assuming you'll contact Sazh?", Lightning asked.

Hope nodded at his former mentor, "Yes, already did and he managed to find our location dead on, so the portal should be opening momentarily."

"Good, I'm going to give the lieutenant our thanks and be right back", Lightning stated, more so to her than the others.

She smiled and bobbed her head to show Lightning she understood. Lightning bent down and pressed a kiss to her forehead before striding off. Vanille couldn't help but admire the soldier's body as she marched away. _Being in the military paid off_, Vanille thought as she gazed on Lightning's legs. A shiver swept through her and she tossed her head, so not to watch the pinkette.

Serah nudged her and leaned closer to whisper, "Claire's got a nice body, huh?"

"Yeah- oh, no! I mean. .well, yes, but- Serah shut up!", she rambled as the younger pinkette started to laugh.

Serah rolled her eyes, "I'm just teasing Van."

"I don't point out to her the way you and Snow look at each other, you two practically undress each other with your eyes", she taunted back.

Serah's eyes widened, "You wouldn't!"

She shrugged and then shook her head, "Nope, that would most certainly mean Snow's death."

"She would do something crazy if she realized that we-"

"You what?"

The two spun around to see Lightning hovering over them, her eyes narrowed. Serah looked at her pleadingly, knowing that the pinkette didn't have a believable answer. She quickly racked her brain for any answer, but obviously it had to go on halt as Lightning's azure eyes bore into hers.

She pressed her hands on Lightning's stomach, silently admiring the feeling of the muscles there before placing a quick kiss on her cheek, "That they're still getting married."

Serah nodded quickly, "I mean, we don't have time right now, of course. Once this has all blown over we were still trying to figure out when we'll do it. . . I mean, not do it, _do it_!"

Vanille jabbed Serah in the ribs to quit the pinkette's ranting, Lightning coughed, "Yeah, well. . you've got plenty of time to plan things out once we're done and over this."

Serah smiled and walked briskly over to Snow to avoid her sister's knowing eyes. Lightning let out a quiet laugh and shook her head. She glanced to the soldier and gave her a questioning look.

Lightning arched an eyebrow, "I'm not stupid, Vanille, and I can hear perfectly fine."

"Oh . .and you're not gonna kill Snow?", she asked as Lightning intertwined their fingers.

Lightning shrugged, "It's part of a relationship. . besides, I can't tell her what to do anymore, as hard as it is."

"Does that mean you do like Snow?", she teased and squeezed Lightning's hand.

Lightning scoffed, "Not even close."

Her focus was transferred to a small portal opening in the air. Hope nodded to the them all and the others started to step forward. She tugged Lightning's hand when the soldier had become transfixed on the portal.

"Lightning?"

Lightning shook her head, "Something's wrong. ."

She glanced at the portal, it looked like it usual did, "The others have already went through; are you sure you're not just being paranoid?"

"I- yeah, probably, lets go", Lightning nodded and walked forward.

She could tell the soldier was still unsure because of the way her shoulders hung. Lightning walked forward stiffly and she followed behind. They stepped through the portal to enter the Historia Crux.

It was still a whole new experience everytime she went into the timeline. The orange hues illuminated their path as they floated behind the others. They flowed through large circles, their purpose, she didn't quite know. She tightened her grip on Lightning's hand when the soldier visibly tensed.

Lightning's eyes darted as they traced something she couldn't identify. She followed Lightning's line of sight and finally spotted what she was seeing. Wisps of chaos trailed above them, encircling the rings they passed through.

Lightning gasped and she looked sideways to see the chaos had wrapped itself around the soldier. Lightning thrashed in the dark tendrils around her, but it was futile as they chaos started to pull her to a different portal's opening.

"Claire!", Serah yelled as the others struggled to get to them.

They were close to the opening that would take them back to Bhulenvize, they would never be able to help her in time. She glanced back at Lightning and could feel Lightning's hand start to slip from her grasp. Lightning's eyes locked with hers and she could see the pleading look in them as Lightning started to release her hand.

"No!", she shouted and reached out both hands to clutch onto Lightning's.

Lightning's eyes lit up with Etro's symbol as the soldier fell still. _Oh Maker, not now!_ The chaos started to envelop Lightning and she held onto her for all she was worth.

The last thing she heard before the chaos tugged Lightning through a different portal and herself unknowingly, was Fang yelling her name.

**Author's Note**

Feedback is much appreciated, so please, read and review! ^.^


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: All rights and property are of Square Enix's; I own nothing!**

Lightning eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up, making Vanille's limp body roll from it's place on her chest to her lap. Alarmed, she placed her hand on the girl's neck and was satisfied with the steady pulse beating. _Chaos_ _must've been too much_, Lightning thought as she gathered the Oerban into her arms. She understood perfectly well how much the chaos could take out of you if you let it get to you, like you were drowning in your own regrets.

She stood up slowly, making sure Vanille's was nestled firmly against her. She surveyed where they were and was relieved to find they were almost exactly where she had willed them. Once she realized the chaos was trying to throw her into some unknown time, she had called upon Etro's reserves of magic to send them to Sulyya Springs. It was the only thing she could think of with such a short amount of time. Looking around, she could see Oerba in the distance now that they were standing at the base of Taejin's Tower. It would be a few days walk to Sulyya springs, but it was better than being in some unknown land.

Now that they were here though, she didn't really know what they could do. She glanced down at the redhead in her arms. She loved Vanille, but the little Oerban couldn't put up much of a fight. _Physically, _Lightning corrected herself, _I'm absolutely sure she could beat me in _any_ argument._ When they had magic, Vanille's magic was far superior to her own, but that was the thing. _No magic_, Lightning sighed, _so how to fight Bismarck?_

Lightning shrugged and walked to the rolling elevator that would carry them to the top. Her stomach flipped as it surged upward, _damn elevator. _She propped Vanille up gently on the metal side, brushing away the stubborn bangs that fell in the redhead's face. She stood back up and placed one hand on her hip. The ringing of the chimes started as they ascended and Lightning scrunched up her face, _I hate those things. _

The elevator lurched forward as it finally came to a halt at the top of the building. Lightning bent down and scooped up Vanille. Lightning froze as fighting outside the elevator hit here ears. She deposited Vanille down again and unsheathed her gunblade. The elevator's hatch opened up and she slipped out of it quickly.

The first thing that caught her eye was the huge Fal'Cie Dahaka. She truly despised this Fal'Cie with it's control over the elements. _Cold to hot, hot to cold_, Lightning shook her head with frustration. The next was the group of five people that were attacking it and seemed be doing fairly well against it. Lightning slunk behind them silently to gauge their fighting skills more closely.

Four of them reminded her of Fang, the two men and two women wore something similar to the tribeswoman's sari. The clothing all resembled what she believed were earthy tones; deep blue, green, and brown. They all were throwing strong physical attacks at the Fal'Cie, causing it to roar in anger. Lightning glanced to the only one who wasn't fighting the entity.

It instantly made her think of Vanille. The woman had long auburn hair and was dressed almost exactly like her Oerban, beads and all. A white L'Cie mark was evident on her neck and glowed brightly as the woman summoned healing magic. She waved her arm and spread the cures over the fighters.

Lightning glanced back at Dahaka when the demon let out another angry roar and sailed off the tower. She tensed, with their fight over they would surely notice her now. When the first man caught her eye and raised his scythe, she knew she was in trouble.

"Who the hell are you?", the man asked, causing the others to turn and set their eyes on her.

_Fight or flight?_, Lightning asked herself as they pointed their weapons at her. She looked over to the elevator and refocused her gaze on the tribe members, _I have to protect Vanille._ She took up a defensive stance, trying not to provoke the steadily approaching closer people.

"It's another damn viper, Tache, just look at 'er", a tall woman said and gave her a disgusted look.

The man pointing a scythe at her, who she assumed was Tache, stepped forward. Their eyes locked and Lightning held his gaze steady while observing how difficult it would be to take him down. He was a fairly large man, almost Snow's size and that was an advantage all to it's own. His dark brown eyes watched her until he nodded his head at his companions.

"Hey Bree, bet I can knock her out 'fore you", the other man with blond hair gambled with the taller woman from earlier, whirling his mace around.

Bree grinned and tightened her hands on her katana, "You're on Rem!"

Lightning fought back the urge to step back as she glanced at the last fighter, the woman's gray eyes piercing hers. The woman's silver hair shone in the bright sunlight as she took slow steps forward, her chained whip slinking across the ground.

"Nevermind, she's all yours Shay", Rem said and raised his hands.

She was prepared for the first attack from the woman and parried the whip with her blade. The woman, she had perceived as Shay, threw a quick punch as her whip was pushed aside and caught Lightning in the chin. Lightning blinked back stars from the hit and returned it with her own, slamming her fist into Shay's stomach. Lightning backflipped when Shay lashed out with the whip again. She had to twist in the air to avoid the weapon as it extended at her and landed a few feet back. _Damn cheat_, Lightning thought as the weapon retracted and then looked at her own weapon. She rotated it into gun mode and fired off a shot at the woman that was blocked, _guess I am too._

They ran forward again and Lightning threw aside the whip, ignoring it rip through her glove as she thrust her sword at the tribeswoman. Lightning smirked as the woman retreated, holding her side from the shallow wound. Lightning tensed and ducked as a mace swung through the air where her head had been. She pushed out her foot and swung it around, still kneeling on the ground to swipe the man's feet out from under him. He landed with a thud, but she didn't have time to watch as a katana slashed at her arm. She retaliated by parrying the blade away from her and grabbing the woman's wrist. She bent it back until there was no choice but to release the weapon and aimed a rapid kick at Bree's head.

Bree dropped and she found herself hitting the ground as Tache slammed her into the ground. Her blade was knocked out of her hand and a dagger pressed into her neck. She sighed and dropped her head onto the ground.

"A viper with some fight in ya, that's new", Tache grunted and turned around to grin at his comrades.

That was his first mistake and by instinct Lightning launched herself at him, without thinking about the conflicts first. She pushed the tip of the dagger at his neck and tensed when her opponents rushed her. _Bad idea, _she thought as she was shoved to the ground again, _one against four, how is this fair?_

She found her arms pinned on both sides, one by the woman Bree and the other by the man Rem. Tache was standing and rubbed his neck, wiping away the blood that she had caused. She was forced to look into those silver eyes again as they were right in front of her. A forearm was pressed over her collarbone, across her shoulders and started to cut off her air.

"Yuns always rush without thinkin'", a voice from behind sounded.

Lightning's eyes flickered behind Shay and saw the auburn haired woman shaking her head, "If you all saw her clothing then why didn't you see she wears a Dia's necklace?"

Tache gave her a doubtful look, "Naomi, she could've stolen that from one of yours as a damn prize, a viper would do that."

_A Dia, that's why she reminds me of Vanille_, Lightning thought as she looked at the group in front of her, _and that's why they remind me of Fang, they're Yun's_.

Lightning blinked, trying to clear the darkness that was gathering at the edge of her vision. She could hear them talking, but could no longer make out the words. The arm pushed down on her throat harder, making her fall into the depths of sleep.

xXx

A hand started to shake her shoulder gently, "Little Dia, wake up."

Vanille's eyes flickered opened to a blond haired man with green eyes. She immediately recoiled back, but found herself up against a wall. Taking a look around, she quickly realized that she was in an elevator of some sort. _How. . did we get to Taejin's Tower?_ The man offered her a hand and pulled her up. She didn't question how he knew she was a Dia, most of her clan always had red hair and green eyes.

He offered his hand, "Oerba Yun Rem, are ya alright, that damn viper didn't hurt ya did she?"

_Viper?. . Is he talking about Claire?, _Vanille shook her head, "No, she didn't- you don't understand-"

She was cut off as two women walked into the elevator, both with silvered hair, but one had gray eyes while the other had bright blue ones. The taller of the two walked forward and put her hands on her hips.

"Names Bree, what's yours?"

She ignored the woman's question as a large, dark haired man walked in, dragging something behind him. _Lightning!_, she jumped when she realized it was her soldier being pulled by the collar of her jacket.

"Lightning!", she brushed the man's grip of Lightning and pulled the soldier against her.

Bree looked down at her, "Ah Dia, that's the viper that 'napped ya right?"

She glanced at them, bewildered, "She didn't kidnap me!"

"Tache, I think this one's hit 'er head", Rem stated as he nodded to the dark haired man.

"Or maybe you Yuns should learn how to be patient", a woman slipped into the elevator just as it started to close.

The silvered hair woman with gray eyes huffed, "What are you talking about Naomi?"

Vanille's eyes widened, _Naomi? _Hope was right when he said she would know people, but she certainly had heard _of _the elder Naomi. _Though, _Vanille thought as she observed the woman, _she's not an elder yet, I wonder what time we're in. _The Dia was known for her healing skills and was vastly respected in her clan before she had passed.

Lightning started to stir in her arms and she released the soldier as she tensed upon waking. Lightning snapped awake and stood in front of her, reaching behind her back for her gunblade. Vanille looked at the sheath to see it empty and Lightning's hand grazed the air.

"Lookin' for this viper, glad ya thought of that Shay.", Bree smirked, swinging Lightning's blade in her hand lazily as she glanced at the gray eyed women.

Vanille tugged on Lightning's sleeve when the woman pulled out her survival knife from her boot, "Lightning, I don't think you need that; they're just confused."

"The one clingin' to a viper is callin' us confused", Shay snorted.

Naomi raised her hands as she stood in front of the Yuns, blocking them from attacking, "I believe we all are, so if y'all would calm down please."

Vanille took this chance to step around Lightning and bow to the other Dia, "I'm Oerba Dia Vanille and that is Lightning Farron."

"As you heard, Naomi; nice to meet you.", Naomi returned her bow.

"_Lightnin'_, that's an odd name for a viper", Bree pondered as she flipped Lightning blade over in her hands.

She quickly pushed herself against Lightning when she felt the soldier start to take a step forward, "What were you doing on Taejin's Tower?"

"We were on our way back to Oerba-", Naomi started.

Shay interrupted her, "And now so are you two, that viper's our prisoner and we'll let the elders deal with her."

She spun around and stood on the tips of her toes to whisper in Lightning's ear, "Just go with it, we'll get someone to hear us out and we can learn what time this is."

Lightning sighed and nodded, "Fine."

Rem snapped his fingers and brought out his hand, wanting Lightning's knife. Lightning gave her a pleading look, _she's never given up that weapon._

She leaned up and kissed Lightning's cheek, "Please."

She glanced back at the other tribes people and saw them all staring at her. She raised an eyebrow and bit back a giggle at their faces, _what's wrong with them?_

Tache blinked and pointed his scythe at Lightning, "You're _with _a _viper_?"

They were all tense as Tache kept his weapon trained on Lightning, a look of disgust on his face. Vanille flinched, she should've thought of their reactions before she did that. She looked at Lightning to see the soldier had a slight scowl on her face from being threatened and weaponless.

_Oops. .  
_

**Author's Note**

I had to update today because I won't be home tomorrow, so here ya go! I really don't know where this came from, I was just writing and was like lets add some people. By the way, I was playing ffxiii (I've already beat it) and I finally saw a cactaur. I had a team of Lightning, Vanille, and Fang; so I was feeling pretty bad for the lil' guy and thought he was bout to get beat up. I was surprised when it started kicking me and running around like an idiot, my little sister and I were cracking up; just thought I'd share because I now love them. ^.^


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I own nothing; all rights and property are of Square Enix's!**

A rumble rose in her throat as the end of Tache's scythe jabbed into her back. There were snickers as she felt another push and she whipped her head around to face them.

"Do that one more time and see where that ends up", Lightning growled at the two men.

Rem shrugged and she turned back around to focus on where they were headed. The Yuns had separated her and Vanille, mainly due to their own paranoia. _Because I'd do anything that would harm Vanille._ She rolled her eyes as they set on Vanille. The girl was speaking with the other Dia, Shay and Bree following closely behind them.

They farther down the hill they got, the more she could see of the little town. Already she knew it would be different, the main difference being it wasn't deserted. The houses' roofs still gleamed, not yet eaten by the rust it had acquired when she saw it. She could hear Vanille's amazement up ahead and her heart warmed, _at least she's enjoying this._

As they stepped into what she assumed was the main part of town, Lightning couldn't hide her awe either. People bustled through the large crowd, trying to make their way through Oerba. Small tables sat in the middle, people selling various items to anyone who walked up. This definitely was not the crumbled remains of a town that she had seen, this was Oerba in it's prime.

Vanille's emerald eyes were sparkling when she caught hold of them and the redhead smiled brightly. She returned the smile before another jab came at her. Her shoulders tensed as she pivoted on her heel and grabbed the scythe. It was easily pried from Tache's grip and she held it up to his throat.

"I _told _you", she stated as she dropped the scythe from his throat, hearing the crowd go silent.

She huffed when Vanille gave her a scolding look and waved her hand, "Fine. . _sorry_."

The only answer was a harder push that almost sent her stumbling forward. She clenched her fist and let out a restrained breath. She was guided through the parting crowd to a small house, _more like room._ Rem stepped forward and opened the door before shoving her into it.

"Stay there viper and don't do anything, the elders will be here to talk to you after they speak with little Dia", Bree advised and shut the door.

Lightning crossed her arms, _well this is stupid and a waste of time_. She stood in middle of the room and surveyed her surroundings. There was nothing in the metal sided building, no windows or furniture. _No point in trying to escape, they have Vanille._ She wasn't too worried for her partner, they seemed to accept her easily. The only thing that kept the Oerbans on edge with Vanille was the fact she was with _her_.

She started to drum her fingers over her arm when an icy sensation flowed through her. Startled, she glanced down at her hand. She inhaled sharply and raised it to her face to get a closer look. Her hand was coated in almost translucent crystal. _That's. . odd, _she thought. Clenching her fist, the crystal cracked before shattering. Small lights that reminded her of the first time in Oerba and at Orphan's Cradle, danced down to the floor before dissolving. She turned her hand over, making sure there was no lingering crystal.

Lightning bowed her head in submission, _that's one way to tell me I don't have much time left, Etro. _She thought back to the blurred vision she had at the Vile Peaks, Etro had been trying to warn her. This apparently was what Etro resorted to if she couldn't tell her, to show her. She swallowed thickly, _we've only got one crystal and there's three more. We're not even close to getting the next thanks to these damn people._ Lightning briefly wondered what would happen, _either I become crystal and keep chaos back somewhat, or we actually finish finding crystals. _She shook her head before shoving the thoughts out of her mind, _no matter what happens, my family _will _be safe. _

The door squeaked as Vanille slipped quietly into the room. Lightning hesitated before embracing the younger girl, seeing no one was behind her. She set her chin atop Vanille's head, taking in her familiar scent. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the pure bliss before Vanille pulled away.

"I thought they were speaking with you?", Lightning asked.

Vanille nodded, "Yep, I kinda just went with whatever I could think of."

Raising an eyebrow, she glanced at the redhead, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I guessed from what Naomi told me that Cocoon and Gran Pulse aren't fighting just yet; they just don't speak very much. They asked me what you were doing here and why you were traveling with me. . so I may have said you were in debt to me", Vanille smiled while tilting her head.

She chuckled as she pulled Vanille closer to her, "And why is that?"

Vanille giggled, "You didn't like Cocoon and wanted to try roughing it out on Gran Pulse."

"Is that even a probable answer?"

"I dunno, they didn't question me; I do remember a few Coccon soldiers helped us out during the war", Vanille shrugged.

Her eyes flickered to the door, expecting someone to burst through, "What are they doing now?"

Vanille's voice was muffled as she buried her face into Lightning's neck, "They're figuring out what to do with us. . I said we were just going to Sulyya Springs, but didn't say why."

"That's probably best, they most likely wouldn't take too kindly to us if we said we were going to destroy Bismarck", Lightning nodded.

Vanille picked up her head to look at her, "Lightning, one of their elders is Yeul."

Lightning hummed as she thought, _that's to be expected. _From what she could remember seeing in Valhalla, Oerba was a variety of cultures. Any tribe name could be found in Oerba: Yun, Dia, Nsu, even the Farseers. Yeul was adored, even for her age, in any tribe for her abilities. It was no question whether she could have a high position in the tribe.

"Maybe. . she could help us?", Vanille suggested, her emerald eyes searching.

Lightning shook her head, "It's a paradox Vanille, her visions will be altered to whatever is happening here. Once we leave with the crystal this will no longer exist, nor will her predictions."

Vanille sighed and looked downward, "I just. . wish we know what's going to happen."

She tilted Vanille's head up before pressing a brief kiss on her lips, "Hey, it'll work out right? You said to be more positive and look at you now."

Vanille brightened considerably and she placed a kiss on Vanille's forehead. _Not the time to mention my hand, _Lightning assumed. The fact that Vanille was starting to doubt what would happen was enough to throw whatever positive thoughts she had conjured to scatter.

It wasn't that she was afraid to become crystal again, Lightning snorted at the thought, she was never _afraid_. It was that she didn't want to leave her life again, she had her sister and now Vanille was a part of her life. Her heart ached at the thought of having to leave Vanille, but she would do it if it was necessary.

"Claire?"

Lightning blinked, dragged from her thoughts, to see Vanille gazing worriedly at her, "Mmhm?"

"You okay?", Vanille asked, her eyes brimming with concern.

"Of course", she leaned down to kiss her again, but halted as the door swung open.

Naomi, Shay, and Yeul walked through the creaking door. Shay's chained whip dragged the floor as she took an defensive stance beside Yeul. Vanille bowed quickly and nudged her to do the same. She quickly bent down and nodded to Naomi and Yeul, throwing a glare to Shay. The Yun made her think of Fang, just how Fang acted to enemies. The narrowed eyes, untrusting stares, and her weapon was constantly at hand.

"So, tell me what you two seek at Sulyya Springs", Naomi said, cutting straight to the point.

Before Vanille could even reply, she did, "It's nice."

Lightning bit her lip from the stares she received and instantly regretted her words. She did like Sulyya Springs though, it was an beautiful place. _Though,. . a Cocoon soldier saying that probably isn't very believable_, Lightning thought as she shuffled her feet.

"So the viper's here to sightsee?", Shay snarled at her, almost making her want to step back from the amount of aggression flowing off her.

"N-no, Lightning's my guardian since I helped her escape Cocoon and I wanted to visit Sulyya Springs. I'm sure you understand, seeress, that Lightning feels the need to accompany me wherever I go", Vanille stuttered before the words flew freely from her mouth.

Lightning raised an eyebrow, _Guardian, really Vanille?_ She bit her lip as Yeul and Naomi looked to each other and finally nodded. She released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"Now that that's settled, Vanille if you'll follow me, I'll show you to where you can stay tonight. I'm sure you're exhausted after traveling so much", Naomi nodded to her Dia.

Vanille turned to her, her expression panicked before Yeul spoke, "I wish to speak to the soldier first, then she'll join you."

Lightning gave a stiff nod and Vanille smiled before skipping after Naomi. Shay gave her a threatening glare and stalked out the door. Yeul walked up to her and she glanced warily at the young girl.

The seeress wasn't her on her list of favorite people, not many people were, but she had blamed Lightning for Serah's death. It was true of course, when Lightning had thought about it and that's why she had begged Etro to save her sister and family. Though this wasn't _that_ Yeul, she still couldn't seem to look past the appearance.

"Etro's champion has strayed from her post, have you not?", Yeul questioned, her dark green eyes boring into hers.

Lightning flinched, so this Yeul could see past the paradoxes and into her time, "I have not abandoned Etro, if that's what you're asking."

Yeul hummed as she walked around her, "No, I suppose not, you're still fighting for a better future. . to 'make things right'?"

Lightning stayed silent, figuring it was either a rhetorical question or obvious what she was doing. Yeul stepped up to her and grabbed her hand. She fought the urge to pull back when she saw the thin crystal layer over her hand has resurfaced. Yeul placed one finger in the center of her palm and the crystal dissolved, the lights drifting on downwards.

"I see. . you don't have much time left champion, do you?"

Lightning bit her lip and withdrew her hand from the seeress, causing an amused look from Yeul. The seeress walked to the door before turning around once more to face her.

Yeul's voice was layered as her eyes flared with Etro's symbol, "You will wander endlessly or stay trapped for eternity depending on your actions. So tell me, Lightning Farron, what will you do when faced with a choice that will end you or others?"

The seeress slipped out the door, leaving her staring dumbfounded at the wall.

**Author's Note**

Ah, sorry it took me so long! I just needed to take a little break because I felt like my last chapters weren't all that great and were kinda forced? I dunno and besides next week school starts again *groans* :p so I needed some time to write out the plot again because I've added some things that I hadn't planned from the beginning. So there you go and I'm not quite sure how my update schedule will be, I'll be able to predict when I'll update after I get a feel for my classes. Though I'm pretty sure calculus is going to be the death of me and my story :o But I promise I will have at least a chapter per week, so just hang in there for me, yeah? ^.^ read and review


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights and property are Square Enix's.**

Lightning shook her head trying to snap herself out of the stupor Yeul's words had brought on. Another reason why she disliked the seeress was her ability to leave someone feeling utterly helpless. That didn't sit well with her, feeling helpless and weak was one of those thing that grated her nerves. Like Snow.

"Tch", she shifted her weight to place one hand on her hip. Clenching her fists, she strode out the small dwelling in search of Vanille. "_You will wander endlessly". . _the words invaded her thoughts as she scanned the crowd for the redhead. She pinched the bridge of her nose, _what the hell does that even mean?_ She glanced at the darkening clouds ahead, mentally slapping herself. _There's not many things that are immortal. . _Her thoughts trailed off, immediately not liking where they were heading._What about trapped for eternity?_ She raised her hand, satisfied that there wasn't any lingering crystal. _Obviously she was referring to being crystal. Been there done that. . twice. _

A growl rumbled in her chest; the combination of Yeul's words and the fact that she couldn't see Vanille. She wanted to find Vanille and be done with this place. The longer they stayed here, the less time they had to get Bismarch's crystal, or at least think of how to acquire it. That was a completely different mess and it was sure to intensify the pounding in her head. There were too many things hanging over her, the sort of feeling that a boulder was dangling right overhead. Yeul's words, the lack of crystals gathered, and the threat of chaos looming. _What the hell can I do? _

She knew of her promise to Etro; keep just six people safe and she would do anything to protect the timeline. Lightning scowled, it seemed like she picked the short end of the stick for that one. _Either way. . .it's worth it, _they're _worth it. _And she felt that, wholeheartedly, and she knew before and after she made that promise that she wouldn't regret it. She would gladly do it; even if it was only for one member of her family, even if it was just Snow. They were her family and if she had found the only few people in the world that could actually put up with her and still love her, well. ._there's no way I'll lose them. _She would prefer if she wasn't in the picture and they all be safe than all of them striving to survive in a dying world.

A sharp shoulder to her abdomen yanked her from her thoughts and she glanced at the offender. A young girl with bright orange hair bowed to her rapidly and shot out a quick apology.

She rolled her eyes and tapped the girl's chin up, "It's fine."

The girl sighed with relief and then gave her a puzzled look, "Are you looking for your mate?"

"W-what?", it slipped out before she could even process what the girl said.

"The Dia, she's your mate right?", the girl asked.

The gears in her head finally clicked, _Gran Pulsian's call them mates? . .That's odd. _

She raised an eyebrow and glanced over the young girl's head, "I . . suppose."

The girl tilted her head, "She's very pretty, though I guess Dia's are usually like that. All the Yuns kinda look scary ta me."

Lightning bit back a smile, "Yeah, she is. ."

"You looked lost and since I've never seen an Oerban with that color hair, I guessed you were that Cocoonian that's with a Gran Pulsian!", the girl squeaked, obviously proud with her reasoning.

The girl thrust out her hand for her to take before she could reply, "I'm Olivia, by the way! I'm a Nsu!"

Lightning shook Olivia's hand, "Lightning, do you happen to know where Vanille is?"

Olivia tightened her grip on her hand so she couldn't pull away and started dragging her, "Vanille? That's a nice name!. .They probably took her to one of the spare rooms, the hunters are out on some mission. Come on!"

"Uh, sure", she mumbled as the girl tugged on her hand, ignoring the glares she received from other tribe members.

_It's not like I'm taking her hostage, quite the opposite actually_. The girl pulled her through the streets, giving her time to realize how much bigger Oerba was in this time. There were dozens of houses, all varying in size, that lined the streets.

_This is why Fang and Vanille loved this place so much._ Maybe after all this was over and somehow she managed to escape without being crystal, maybe they could live on Gran Pulse.

That one day on Bhulenvize when she stormed out thanks to Fang's accusations, she had wandered around for some time. She absolutely hated it. . maybe because it reminded her of Cocoon. Everywhere she had looked was technology and while she gave Hope props for actually _creating_ a entire world, she didn't find it attractive at all. While they were L'Cie and had came to Gran Pulse, she never thought that she would like it. They were taught that Pulse was literally hell and she had believed it without question. Sometime during that. . trip. . she had became fond of seeing the trees and looking up to see the shimmering stars. No longer did she appreciate the slim and sleek design that Cocoon and Bhulenvize donned.

_That would be. . nice, to live and do what I wanted. _Saving the world once and being in the process of saving another had left her bitter. She wanted to be with her family and not have all the world on their shoulders. She actually did _want_ Serah and Snow to be happy and get married. Lightning wanted what was best for her sister and sadly, that was apparently Snow. She wanted Hope to be able to carry out what _he_ wanted to research, not be forced to solve how to keep chaos from destroying the world. She wanted Sazh and Dajh to spend time together and bond as father and son. Lightning wanted Fang to be able to go on hunting trips and would gladly accompany her. Most of all, _she_ wanted to be happy with Vanille.

Not that she wasn't happy right now, but it isn't quite the same when you compare running around to stop chaos or having a nice, peaceful life on Gran Pulse. What then though? She wanted to be with Vanille, but at what level? They were together and what was the next step? Lightning swallowed, her throat constricting. . _marriage?_ Did Vanille even want that, did she want something serious like that? Was she jumping to conclusions?

"Lightning?"

She dipped her head down to look at Olivia, shaking her head, "Yes?"

"We're here", the girl nodded her head to the house in front of them, "She's probably inside that one. You may wanna head inside, there's a storm coming."

"Yeah. . thanks", she mumbled, barely noticing the patter of raindrops as they fell to the ground.

The girl gave her a quick smile and ran off while waving. Lightning rolled her eyes, she never remember kids on Cocoon being so hyper. Then again. . they did seem to stray away from her, Serah said it was something about her looking unfriendly. Lightning shrugged and straightened up before knocking on the door. _Please let Vanille be in here and not some Yun ready to tear out my throat._

She was ecstatic, though no one could ever tell, when her little redhead opened the door. Vanille gave her a sweet smile before pulling her through the doorway. Vanille twirled around and threw up her hands before falling onto a bed in the corner.

"Isn't Oerba beautiful?", Vanille hummed while she sprawled out across the bed.

Lightning gave a small smile to her Dia, "It does look fairly nice."

She took a seat at the small table and crossed her arms as she leaned back. Vanille's eyes were closed as she rambled about how much she had missed how Oerba looked. She couldn't help but admire the Pulsian as the she beamed over her town.

Vanille stopped to look up and gave her a curious look, "What are you looking at?"

She stood up from her chair and crossed the room before sitting beside Vanille. She leaned down to press a kiss to Vanille's forehead and earned a giggle.

"You", she murmured as she barely brushed her lips over Vanille's.

Vanille's hands wrapped around the back of her neck to pull her back down for another kiss. She sighed when Vanille pulled back and narrowed her eyes at her. She had learned quickly when those emerald eyes narrowed, she was somehow going to end up offending her redhead. Vanille could switch from serious to playful with an instance, almost as fast as she could.

"What did Yeul want?", Vanille asked, her hands running through her hair.

She froze, she hadn't thought whether or not to tell Vanille. Her mind searched for a quick answer, but could find none. She shrugged and laid down next to Vanille, grunting when Vanille stood up.

"What did she say?"

She buried her face into the pillow, taking in the fresh scent of pine. Vanille didn't seem to understand why she didn't like to share her problems. It was her problem and she shouldn't worry her lover with things they probably couldn't fix anyway. If it was fixable, she would get it under control without even having to involve or upset Vanille. If it wasn't, well she didn't want them arguing away their only time left.

"Nothing really, just knew I was Etro's guardian", she mumbled, good that wasn't entirely a lie and she wouldn't feel horrible about it.

Lightning physically flinched when she met Vanille's gaze, those green eyes boring into hers. Vanille raised an eyebrow, obviously wanting to full answer and didn't buy the snippet she had thrown out.

"She just. .", Lightning stopped and glanced down at her hand.

Her hand was coated in a thin layer of crystal and Lightning rolled her eyes, _perfect timing. _She sighed and raised her hand for Vanille to see. She watched as Vanille's eyes darted between her and her hand.

Vanille reached for her hand and touched it, causing the crystal to dissolve immediately, "What. . did she do that?"

"No, Etro did. . I guess, but she saw it and said something about it", Lightning sat up, but now it was Vanille who wouldn't meet her eyes.

Vanille turned to face her finally and Lightning was taken aback when she saw tears in her eyes, "How long has it been doing that?"

Lightning's heart tugged and she reached to cup Vanille's face but her hands were brushed away, "Not long, just today I promise. I think it's Etro's way of telling us to hurry up."

Vanille turned away and faced the window, the rain running down the glass. The room was quiet, other than the sound of their breathing and Vanille's occasional sniffling. Lightning fought the urge to fidget, she wanted to go comfort Vanille but it hadn't been welcomed and she doubted it would change if she did it again.

"Vanille, please-"

"What else did she say?", Vanille interrupted, still facing the window.

"I. .", Lightning stopped and bit her lip, "Vanille, it's nothing. This is a paradox, Yeul's powers wouldn't be right in a false time."

Vanille spun around, her emerald eyes wide with alarm, "She had a vision about you?"

Lightning winced, _that was stupid soldier. _She stood up and took a step towards Vanille, but the Oerban backed up to the door. Tears were flowing freely down Vanille's face and it was because of her. She felt the need to protect Vanile from everything, it wasn't until now that she realized Vanille felt the same about her. It was odd that they both were so opposite and yet Lightning couldn't help but find so many similarities between them. Vanille rubbed her eyes, _she cries a lot easier than me. _She remembered vaguely Fang mentioning that Vanille cried easily, but none the less, she didn't want her crying at all.

The breath rushed out of her lungs when Vanille yanked open the door and ran out. She stared at the door for a moment, trying to realize what happened. The rumble of thunder sent her barreling towards the door.

"Vanille!"

xXx

When Lightning had showed her hand to her and then let out Yeul having a vision, Vanille didn't know how to handle it. Why didn't Lightning want her to know so that she could help her? Why did this have to always happen to them? So in the end she did what she did best.

She ran.

Ignoring the wind lashing at her face and the rain drenching her clothes, she took off out the Oerban house. She could barely hear Lightning's yell, she sounded worried, _how bad is it when Lightning's worried?_

She didn't really care where she was going, she just needed to run. Needed a way to hide the tears and the rain seemed perfect. She should've learned from last time that it doesn't quite work. She might as well have tried to stop the rain. Fighting back tears and yet, they still fell.

Vanille didn't know what to do anymore. Lightning didn't seem to be bothered by their predicament, but she could never tell exactly what her soldier was feeling. Lightning had just tried to not mention it and when Lightning came clean, she tried to comfort _her_. Lightning was turning into crystal right in front of her and there wasn't anything she could do.

She couldn't lose herself in happier days or face it later. Her happier days had consisted of her days in Oerba before the war, but those didn't have Lightning in them. They weren't truly happier days, not without her. Facing it later would be a horrible thing to do, _just wait it out until there's nothing left but Lightning as crystal. _

Coming to an abrupt halt, she stopped in front of the dark water. The water drummed against her skin, leaving no part of her dry. She stood there and let nature have at her. Closing her eyes she face upwards, letting the cold drops pelt against her face.

Her eyes snapped open when the rain no longer touched her. Instead of meeting an overcast, cloudy sky, she was met with crimson fabric.

"You're going to catch a cold", Lightning advised.

The soldier's hair was plastered against her face, making her eyes stand out. It was then she realized that Lightning was holding her cape over her, shielding her from most of the weather. She hated how her heart leaped at her soldier's actions; she was supposed to be mad at her, not falling for one action.

She turned her head away, avoiding the concerned azure eyes, "I'll be fine. It's only water."

Lightning huffed behind her, but still held the cape steady over her. They stood, both silent and searching for the right words. She jumped when lightning streaked across the sky accompanied by a loud crack. She glanced at Lightning to see the soldier looking upwards.

"Lightning. . It flashes bright, then fades away. . .It can't protect. It only destroys", Lightning mumbled seemingly to herself, looking downward to the ground.

She bit her lip when Lightning's bright eyes met hers, "Lightning, it's just a part of weather, it seemed simple and fitting when I chose it. Now. . I'm not too sure anymore, about that fade away part."

Vanille gave Lightning a curious look, so she continued, "I won't just fade away, if anything, I'm destroying that chaos if I go down."

The confusion must've been evident on her face because Lightning dropped the cape, letting the rain resume it's attack. She found herself forced to look into Lightning's eyes as the soldier reached forward and cupped her face.

Lightning glanced down again, struggling for words before looking up, "I'm not going anywhere Vanille."

"So we at least have to try, even if we fall short we would know we tried, right?", Lightning asked.

A giggle escaped her, "You can't use my words against me."

Lightning shrugged, "You knew what you were talking about."

She leaned forward so that her forehead rested against Lightning's shoulder, "What happens if we don't get the crystals in time?"

"Then you'll just have to wait for me for a little. You and Fang seem to have a way of getting out of crystal, so can I", Lightning smirked.

"Always", she smiled.

Vanille felt a breath of air hit her ear as Lightning let out a sigh of relief. A shiver passed through her as she realized how cold she actually was. Lightning kissed her head before gripping her hand lightly.

"Lets get out of this rain", Lightning asked and tossed her head, spraying more drops of water.

"Yep!", she smiled and allowed Lightning to pull her through the town.

xXx

She giggled as Lightning ruffled her hair with a towel, splaying her hair out to the side. Her nails brushed her scalp as the towel rubbed against her head.

"Done", Lightning said and tossed the towel on her head.

She giggled and pulled it off, "Thanks, your turn!"

Lightning hummed as she crawled behind the soldier, the towel still gripped in her hands. She stifled a laugh Lightning's hair fluffed up after she tried to dry it. Lightning cleared her throat, trying to gain her attention.

"You do know that if something happens. . . you don't really have to wait, right?", Lightning asked quietly.

Vanille recoiled from the question, _Lightning's so stupid sometimes. _She dropped the towel and tapped Lightning's shoulder.

She quickly kissed her cheek as Lightning turned, "I meant what I said, always."

"Vanille, I'm serious-", Lightning was cut off as she placed a finger on her lips.

"So am I, so quit being dumb", she smiled as Lightning scowled.

Vanille rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around Lightning's neck. Lightning's eyes softened as she leaned down to capture her lips. She eagerly responded and raked her fingers through the pinkette's hair. Lightning pulled back looking confused before it was quickly replaced by narrowed eyes.

Lightning held up a hand for her to be quiet and that's when she noticed a rancid smell. Something was burning, she was sure of it. Lightning stood up and picked up her gunblade before grabbing her hand. Lightning pulled her to the door and beckoned for her to follow behind.

As the door opened, the sounds of screams assaulted her ears. Columns of smoke rose into the sky from houses up in flames. Fire laced the sides of the sidewalk and homes. The air was getting thicker with each memory it burned. Lightning unclasped her cape and handed it to her, gesturing for her to cover her mouth before pulling her into a run. They ran through the streets and she almost tripped over her own feet when she saw it. An airship and though Oerba was more advanced than the other towns of Gran Pulse, it wasn't that advanced. No, it had to be from Cocoon.

Oerba was in flames and Cocoon was the cause.

The War of Transgression had started.

**Author's Note**

Mkay, first off, sorry it's late. First week of school was pretty lame and I've officially failed my first calculus quiz and passed the test? I really don't have time to write at all and it sucks, but I'll try to post whenever I can. Another thing that motivates me to write more is reviews and I had a lack of motivation due to no reviews for the last chapter. Any type of feedback is appreciated, just don't be a jerk ^.^


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I own nothing nor do I gain anything other than the experience of writing from this; all rights and property go to Square Enix.**

Vanille wasn't allowed to gawk at the scene in front of her, Lightning all but dragging her away. What sort of luck did she have to have to endure her home being destroyed not one, but twice? She shook her head and focused on tightening her grip on Lightning's hand.

Explosions accompanied by screams rose up into the burning sky. Her breath caught in her throat as the missiles impacted with the small village. She dropped Lightning's cape from her face, the fumes still passing through it anyway, and tugged forcefully on Lightning's hand. Lightning spun around, her gunblade drawn for any threats.

"We have to help them!", she yelled at the soldier, trying to make her voice heard over the commotion.

Lightning's gaze softened for a moment before they narrowed, focusing on something behind her. With a jerk, she found herself shoved behind Lightning and seconds later a gunshot rang out. Lightning lowered her weapon and allowed her to peer over her to see a Cocoon soldier dropping to the ground.

"I know it's hard seeing Oerba like this, but we can't do anything. It's a paradox, even if we saved someone it would useless and erased as soon as we leave."

She couldn't bring herself to meet Lightning's piercing gaze, instead choosing to toss her head to the side, "But. . there's got to be _something_-".

"No, there's nothing. If _we _happened to get killed though, there's nothing changing that; we would be dead. We keep moving", Lightning snapped quickly, interrupting her before setting off a quick pace after making sure she was ready.

She followed after her soldier, noticing Lightning's tense features as a warning to drop it. Vanille understood that really there wasn't anything they could do, but that didn't change the fact Oerba was up in flames. Didn't make the screams that rang out any easier to hear.

Lightning stopped as they came in between two buildings. The pinkette reached her hand back and she took it without hesitation.

Vanille's ears pricked at a murmured, "I'm sorry", and she squeezed Lightning's hand to acknowledge she heard.

Lightning glanced over her shoulder and pointed to a group of soldiers marching through the crumbled street, "We'll slip by them and then we'll be out."

Vanille looked past the soldiers marching and could see Taejin's Tower easily around the bend. She raised an eyebrow as she peered around the corner at the soldiers, _how does she expect us to 'slip' by them?_

A scream sounded, just on the edge of familiar.

She could see a women falling to the ground after a gun was slung at the back of her head. The bracelets around her wrists clanked together as they came into the contact with the earth.

Realization poured through her and she shouted before her mind even thought to comprehend the purpose of being quiet, "Naomi!"

Lightning went stiff behind her as the soldiers' heads swiveled towards them, leaving the Dia wounded on the ground. A string of curses flew from Lightning's mouth, already dashing forward, and she flinched from the emotion from them.

"Wait!", she shouted after the sprinting soldier.

Lightning jabbed her finger towards Naomi before gripping the hilt of her gunblade with both hands and swinging it upward, slicing through the first soldier. Vanille turned her attention towards the fallen Dia after the cries of the soldiers hit her ears. It didn't matter what time she was from, a member of the tribe was exactly just that; a member, family.

She skidded to a halt on her knees, relieved when Naomi glanced up at her. The tribe member rubbed the back of her head and waved off the hand Vanille offered to her.

"I'm alright, quit fretting. There's others that could use your help more than I could", Naomi grimaced after her own words, her eyes looking sorrowful as the glanced at the flaming town.

She glanced back to check on Lightning and could see her soldier demolishing through the ranks of soldiers that had gathered. Lightning's muscles stood clearly defined in her arms as she swung her blade, cutting down anyone in her path. The flames' reflections danced across her sword as it soared through the air.

Vanille let out a sigh of relief, seeing Lightning wasn't having any problems handling the invaders and turned back around to her fellow Dia. Naomi looked shaken, but the cut on the back of her neck wasn't serious.

A feral growl behind her ran a chill up her spine. Before she had time to turn around, she found herself propelled away from Naomi. Meeting the ground roughly, she was flipped over and an arm pushed down on her neck.

Cloudy gray eyes stared right through her when she looked up at her attacker, "I don't know which one of ya I hate more; that damned soldier or you."

She clawed at the forearm braced against her airways, managing to sputter out a few words, "I don't. . know what. . you're talking about!"

Shay bared her teeth at her, her voice threateningly low, "Really? Yer tellin' me that it so happens right after you and your _guardian_ show up, my home is destroyed by vipers?"

"We had . .nothing to do with that!", she choked out.

Involuntarily she sucked in a deep breath when she saw the glint of a knife in Shay's hand after the flames flashed against it. Shay took the opportunity to press down further on her when she exhaled. She could hear her heart pounding, echoing throughout her entire body. Her pulse drummed in her head and she wondered what would happen first; would she pass out from lack of air, or was a fellow Oerban going to stab her?

She didn't really want to know the answer.

An angry yell made her heart soar and there was a blur of pink, resulting in her being able to breathe freely once again. Shay's weight was thrown off of her as the Yun and Lightning went tumbling across the dirt. Shouts came from both the women as they wrestled with each other trying to gain the upperhand.

She started forward, not knowing exactly what she could do, but a hand gripped her arm and stopped her. Naomi's soft green eyes pleaded to her as she pulled her back.

"Get out of here now", Naomi said, tossing her head towards the Tower.

"Wha-"

Naomi shoved her forward, past the bodies of the Cocoon soldiers that now littered the ground. She pivoted on her heel to face the other Dia and was shocked to see her yanking Shay away from Lightning. Naomi gave her a quick nod before urging Lightning forwards with a nudge.

"Leave before others believe what my friend does, they'll come after you soon", Naomi kept a firm grip on the Yun to keep her from following after them.

Lightning narrowed her eyes at Naomi, obviously not liking the idea of just leaving them like this, contradicting what she had told Vanille previously, "We can't just leave you here-"

"Do you wish to protect Vanille?", Naomi cut through, her words easily silencing Lightning.

Vanille glanced to her soldier to see her nod and Naomi chuckled bitterly, "Then get her out of here, we'll need time to recover before they'll send a party for you."

"The only reason I'm not slitting your throats is because you helped her. Next time I see you, you won't be as lucky", Shay snarled at them.

Lightning smirked slightly, "Right."

With that, Lightning grabbed her hand and they ran into the darkness, away from the failing tribe and invaders. The crackle of the flames still heard above everything.

xxx

With Lightning's urging, they didn't stop to rest until after they had navigated through Taejin's Tower. It was fairly simple considering this time period was before the elevator had it's limits and it ran through all the floors. It wouldn't be until after this attack from Cocoon than Gran Pulsians would think to put necessary precautions if invaders were to pass through the Tower.

Vanille bent over and put her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath as soon as they entered the Palisades. Lightning walked in front of her and pulled her up to stand straight before running her hands over her arms, checking for injuries.

Lightning shocked her further when she pulled her into a fierce hug, mumbling, "Don't do that to me again."

Vanille smiled softly as she buried her face into collar of Lightning's jacket, _she's so worried about everything._ She could feel Lightning's rapid heart beats from her place on the soldier's collarbone. Lightning let out a breath before holding her an arms length away.

"Are you sure you're alright?", Lightning asked seriously, her azure eyes darting over her.

"Yep!", she assured before leaning up to kiss Lightning's nose quickly, giggling went she could've sworn Lightning went cross-eyed momentarily.

The corners of Lightning's mouth twitched upward before Vanille found herself in another embrace, albeit far less emotional than the last, "We'll find some place to rest here and tomorrow we'll head to Sulyya Springs."

She nodded and gripped Lightning's hand as the soldier unholstered her gunblade. They proceeded through the darkness warily, waiting for any unwanted guest to attack them. Vanille found comfort in Lightning's presence, knowing no harm would come to her when Lightning was close by.

Normally she wouldn't feel the need to rely on her soldier so much, but right now when she couldn't see a thing, it was good to have Lightning. _My staff wouldn't have much effect with me swinging it blindly about either._ Somehow, the soldier was able to navigate through the darkness easily.

Lightning put a hand on her shoulder when they came across a rocky overhand. She waited anxiously as Lightning disappeared from her short range of view to inspect the possible campsite. Something gripped her hand and she jumped, a less than dignified squeak escaping her throat.

Immediately the hand clamped over her mouth, accompanied by a hushed voice, "Calm down, it's just me. We can stay here for tonight, but try and be quiet, we don't want to get anything attracted to us."

_Oops, _she smiled sheepishly, hoping Lightning spotted it and was answered with a light laugh. She followed Lightning's guiding hand under their shelter and dropped to the ground.

She stretched on the ground, "Glad that's over!"

Lightning hummed agreeance and she could hear something being scraped together repeatedly. Leaning up, she narrowed her eyes to try and see what Lightning was doing. It was made easier when a light sparked and Lightning blew on it quietly. A flame crackled to life under Lightning's hand.

"Won't that attract something?", she asked with a tilt of her head.

Lightning nodded slightly and shrugged, "Monsters I can handle, I can't handle you getting a cold just to save us the risk of being spotted."

She nodded, Gran Pulse wasn't like Cocoon's moderate temperatures. During the day it was hot, horribly so; she giggled at the thought of how red Lightning had gotten. Turns out her lover doesn't tan well. Though, once you got accustomed to the heat, it was night and with that came the bitter cold.

Lightning raised an eyebrow at her continuous smiling, "What?"

"Nothing", she answered quickly, not being able to come up with something fast enough.

Lightning rolled her eyes and leaned over to place a kiss on her forehead, "Whatever you say, get some sleep."

She followed Lightning's form as her soldier stood up and sat near the edge of their shelter to keep watch. She opened her mouth the object or at least offer a watch shift too, but Lightning must've known and shook her head without turning around.

She huffed as the soldier took out cloth and set to cleaning her blade, calling out a soft, "Goodnight."

Vanille laid back down, feeling sleep dangerously close and yawned, "Love you."

As her eyes closed, she spotted Lightning striding over to her. The soldier unfastened her coat, unclasping her cape at the same time, and wrapped it up, _what . .is she doing? _ Lightning bent down and picked up her head before placing the jacket underneath it and draped the cape over most of her. The pinkette brushed her bangs out of her face before walking over to take a closer spot beside the fire.

"Love you too."

**Author's Note**

I'm officially tired of school already, it sucks. I have no time for writing whatsoever, but was able to get this out due to no school today. I'm going to spend the remainder of the day writing the next chapters so hopefully I will be able to update weekly and not every other week. It's getting bad when I can't remember what happened in the last chapter, so I feel like it's starting to get choppy and I rather take longer than have a crappy story; though that's what it's starting to look like. Sorry for the lateness and please R&R. ^.^


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: All rights and property are of Square Enix's, not mine.**

Lightning turned her head around at the sound of a soft yawn and the crack of bones settling back into place. Vanille's arms were stretched above her head and Lightning couldn't help the smile that crossed her features from the little Dia's cuteness. Bright green eyes settled on her as they blinked back the blurryness from sleep. Vanille's face lit up a light pink when the cape settled in her lap and she quickly gathered it and the jacket.

"Mornin'!. . Thanks", Vanille smiled and kissed her briefly before handing her things over to her.

She gave a nod, ignoring the warmth that filled her completely, _good morning indeed._ It wasn't going to do them any good if she ran around head over heels for her Dia, she needed to be in battle mode. All night she had sat up thinking of a way to take down Bismarck and she ended up with nothing.

_How much easier it was when we were L'Cie, _she scoffed.

She glanced at Vanille when there was a loud gurgling noise. Vanille flinched and bit down on her lip. Lightning mentally slapped herself, something she found she did a lot around Vanille, _she's hungry._

Being a soldier, she only thought about things when absolutely necessary, meaning she could go without food and not even think about it. She chastised herself, _I need to be more aware with Vanille. _The poor redhead was probably starving by now and she hadn't even mentioned anything. Reaching in to her leg pouch, all she could find was two granola bars. _The only reason they're even there is because of Serah, _she grunted, the youngest Farron always snuck things in her pouch before she went anywhere.

She handed the bars to Vanille and gave an apologetic look, "I wasn't really prepared to go on another trip."

Vanille took one with a smile, "You didn't know we would be thrown here; you eat the other."

"I'm not hungry."

Her mouth _almost _dropped open from the glare she recieved from Vanille. She tried to insisist she really wasn't hungry, but those emerald eyes had turned to stone. _Who's the older one in this relationship?_

"I'm. .I'll just put it back up for later", she resorted to compromising.

Vanille huffed, but said nothing as she nibbled on the bar, seeming satisfied with it. Seeing she was taken care of for the time being, Lightning stood up and stretched. _It won't take long to get to the Springs and then what. ._

Part of her had held some hope in the fact that the others would've found them by now. Taking on Bismarck seemed a little easier to swallow if she had her entire family by her side. As it seems, it was going to be left up to her and Vanille.

Another thing, one which she didn't admit to as easily, was Bismarck was in the water. That large hulk reminded her of whales from Bodhum, one of the few things of nature that was preserved on Cocoon. She liked whales. Her mother used to let them sit on the beach often and just see it they could spot some. They reminded her of home and the thought of hacking away at one discerned her. _On the other hand, becoming crystal is far less appealing. _

So the natural solution was to charge in guns blazing.

Lightning scoffed, it seemed that was the only type of plan she had lately. Why was it when she had everything to lose, she chose to be reckless and just see what happens? Vanille skipped past her as they started walking, a small smile etching on her face. Maybe it was the little redhead influence, just a modified version of 'face it later'?

Lightning shook her head clear of thoughts and focused on her surroundings as they came around the bend of the final area of the Tower. She hated this spot, it's closed in area making her feel tense and anxious. Vanille must've sensed her worry and retreated closer to her, slipping their hands together. They continued on quietly, keeping an eye out for any threats.

There were many things about Gran Pulse she didn't get. One being, why there were sheep here when they're considered a domestic animal on Cocoon and how they survived on Gran Pulse, but that's besides the point. She was awed at how just by passing through areas the next could be so vastly different than the one before or the one next. One minute her muscles are coiling in anticipation of an attack and the next, she's literally walking through a field of flowers.

Sulyya Springs was one of the places she favored on Gran Pulse. Correction, it was the _only _place she was somewhat fond of. The enemies there were fairly easy to take care of, though the last time they were here they hadn't encountered the Fal'Cie. She assumed that Bismarck wouldn't be easily dealt with.

Glancing over to the redhead, who had apprently gained enough courage to seperate from her and awe over the area. Usually she couldn't understand why Vanille would just stare at things, namely rocks. Rocks were rocks; they weren't special, they were just _there_. Here she could at least understand why Vanille seemed to have a fascination with nature. The Springs were beautiful; each area having special quirks about it that made it different, but matched the beauty of the former.

As they walked through the cave-like tunnels, she couldn't help but be amazed at the different hues of greens and blues illuminated against the walls. Maybe the shades of color were due to the seemingly luminescent moss seeping from the cracks, she wasn't sure.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention when a blaring noise cut through the soft sound of Vanille's humming. Alarm ran through her when Vanille whirled around, emerald eyes wide with fear.

"That's the signal", Vanille squeaked as she grabbed her hand to urge her along.

She obliged rapidly and took over the run, now pulling the redhead, "Signal for what?"

Vanille's breath came out in harsh gasps as they rounded the curves, Lightning chalked it up to the adrenaline pumping through her veins, "They've found our trail."

"Right", she nodded and set her focus ahead of them.

_It slipped my mind entirely that they'll be after us, _the thought aggervated her instantly. She couldn't keep focused when it was just her and the little redhead. Taking care of targets was easy, actually finding one seemed to be the hard part for her.

Their feet drummed against the slick ground, the only sound that accompanied the horn's harsh noise as it sounded two more times. Lightning reached out and wrapped an arm around Vanille's shoulders to stop the Dia from running ahead as the tunnels expanded to the large cave. She pulled the Blazefire from it's scabboard and point it forward, preparing for any possible assault.

Vanille's hands fisted the back of her jacket and she could hear the quiet voice behind her, "Where is everything?"

Lightning didn't answer as she scanned their surroundings. No creatures of any sort stood in there way, she couldn't even hear the strange noises that most of the inhabitants made. Last time she did everything she could to _not_ hear them. _So. . where are they?_

Looking past the columns of raised ground, she spotted the water's surface being disturbed by a mass of bubbles, "Bismarck's here, but not the others?"

Vanille's feet shuffled behind her, "The Fal'Cie provides their energy, in turn they follow what it wants."

Lightning huffed, "More creatures treated like pets."

Vanille answered with a soft yep and fell silent. Lightning glanced to the open ceiling above them, briefly trying to spot any sign of life. _Why would Bismarck _not _have anything guarding it?_

She walked towards the rippling water, trusting Vanille to follow with the strong grip she had on her, "We'll have to get it out of the water-."

She was interrupted by a loud splash accompianed by a roar and her eyes followed the large hulk launched upward. She sighed loudly and rolled her eyes as the beast descended back into the water.

"Guess that's not going to happen."

Vanille giggled behind her, but it was cut short as the ground under them rumbled and she heard the annoying croaks of the creatures. She spun around to see them emerging from the water's edge. She planted herself in front of Vanille and took a defensive stance. Vanille's grip on her faltered for a moment before it returned tenfold. She glanced over her shoulder to see them slowly being surrounded.

"Back to back", she commanded, not giving room for a response and quickly felt Vanille press against her.

"Lightning", Vanille's worried voice sounded through the thumping in her head, "There's too many."

She shook her head, watching their advancing enemies intently. Orobons and Ceratosaurs alone weren't a problem, but a group of this many could cause some damage. She clenched the hilt of her gunblade when she saw the furious lashing tails of the Ceratoraptors'. Flicking her wrist to shift her weapon into a gun, the first wave of Ceratosaurs fell with a few well aimed bullets. She ground her teeth together when they were replaced easily, maybe even doubled.

_Just keep them away from Vanille, _she kept repeating to herself. Every second her eyes darting to the corners of her vision to see Vanille 'fishing' at the monsters. The corners of her mouth tugged into a smirk, her partner's long range weapon was perfect to protect herself.

Lightning just needed to take down the few stragglers that survived Vanille's hooks. Her mind automatically identified the strongest members and trusting her own judgement, she darted forward. Her form was a blur as she slashed through the makeshift ranks, not caring whether she dealt a killing blow or not. It was only important to injure them enough so they wouldn't get back up. Serah would always say she never could dance, but Lightning could when she was with her blade. Each swing was it's own beat and her sword was in sync with the rhythm.

Vanille's cry broke her dance, earning her a stinging lash to the side by a Ceratosaur's tail. She broke through the sea of enemies to dash towards Vanille. She could see Vanille's rods had gotten caught, reminding her of the disadvantages to a long range weapon, and a group of monsters targeting her.

Throwing all strategies to the wind, she pushed forward and swung her blade in a 360 to push the creatures back. Lightning was rewarded with a chorus of injured croaks. The formation of foes reacted rapidly and were rushing them again.

_They're stronger than normal, _she noticed and turned to look at Vanille. The Gran Pulsian was shaking and paler than normal, but otherwise fine. Seeing Vanille was unharmed, Lightning pivoted on her heel and threw herself into the mass.

Anger didn't drive her, she just. . had something worth fightning for.

Her gunblade sliced through the creatures like they were air, demolishing their ranks in a few swings. Lightning smirked, the lingering number of amphibeians were dwindling and none were showing to replace the fallen.

It still shocked her the power of some and the overall number that were attacking her. Most would go down after a bullet or two, but a few would keep coming like they weren't injured at all.

_Bismarck powers them, _she remembered Vanille's words and turned to the redhead, _if they use up enough power then_

_. . . won't that weaken Bismarck?_

Vanille's beautiful green eyes lit up as if she realized it at the same time and nodded, finally able to retract the hooks of her weapon. Lightning backed up to be close to the redhead as they took on the few stronger enemies together. As the last fell, her hearing picked up the sound of fighting outside. A Yun's battle cry could be overheard admist the others.

Lightning cracked a small smile, _they're helping us defeat Bismarck and don't even realize it. _

Just as she was turning around to tell Vanille, she felt something wrap under her arm and around her neck. Instead of speaking, all she managed to get out was a sputtered choke before she was yanked backwards. Vanille's hoarse yell was all she heard before she was pulled under the water.

She couldn't register what was going on as the cold water engulfed her. The unknown force around her spread and burning cold throughout her. She thrashed against her bonds, but felt herself weakening each moment.

The pain in her chest grew until she tried to cry out to no avail and her vision went white.

**Author's Note**

So my computer blew up.

Not really, it just won't pull up a screen and keeps sounding like it's about to explode. So, I have to get a new one and have no way of pulling my writing off of my broke one. . .Yay, rewriting the chapters I had already written and my freaking outline of the story. So just work with me, I only can use my friends computer every now and then but I barely had enough time to write this chapter. So here you go, enjoy (hopefully). I had no time to spell check it unless you wanted to wait longer, so apologies for any grammar mistakes.

Those that review, thanks a lot and those who are just reading, keep doing it!

Feedback is appreciated! ^_^


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Square Enix owns all characters, places, etc. **

Vanille twirled her staff once before latching it onto her fur pelt hanging off her waist. She could still hear the signs of a skirmish outside, making her ecstatic to know the rest of her family was here.

One thing was bothering her though.

Bismarck provided it's "pets" as Lightning had supplied, with it's own life force. The fact that they weren't being attacked at the moment and the diminishing noises of the assault outside left her thinking.

_Is Bismarck dead?_

A gagged noise interrupted her thoughts and caused her to turn, realizing Lightning was there a moment before and now she wasn't. Her head snapped to the left to see Lightning pulled off her feet and entangled by something glowing green. Stumbling forward, she shouted Lightning's name, her voice breaking.

Their eyes met for a second, Lightning's blue eyes dilated with alarm, before Lightning slipped under the surface of the murky water.

Vanille went rigid, feeling something wrap around her torso and legs. A swift pull sent her face first into the dirt and she bit her tongue to keep from crying out. Another yank and she was dragged across the earth and plunged into the water.

Panic rush through her, threatening to overcome her.

_Keep calm_, she urged herself, _conserve air._

It was funny what a few words would do while you're under water, barely able to see and let's not forget to mention, not breathing.

She couldn't fight against the tentacle-like grip on her. It spread cold throughout her and left her numb. She could hardly turn her head to see Lightning struggling in the water. The soldier was thrashing against the illuminated green tentacles.

The scene made something familiar tickle against the back of her mind.

Lightning seemed to be getting free, until two more whips lashed out and wrapped themselves around the soldier's arms.

A pulse of light streamed from the tentacles, slamming straight into Lightning's chest.

Vanille watched in horror as Lightning went limp after one jerk from spazzing muscles and was released from her bonds. The soldier's eyes were dull as she floated upwards. Vanille attempted to swim after her, but was held back, reminding her of her own entanglement.

_No no no, I have to help Lightning!_, her own lungs burning from the lack of oxygen as she fought against the vice grip.

The breath rushed from her lungs in a column of bubbles as the side of her thigh burned as if she had been burned.

It made her slightly dazed, but not enough to confuse the knowledge that she was now free of the tentacles. Pushing her arms to propel her up, she burst through the water and gulped in the fresh air.

She spun around in the water searching for Lightning, kicking her legs to stay afloat, "Lightning?"

Fear pumped through her veins when she caught no sight of the pinkette. She ducked under the water, blinking her eyes to rid them of the blurriness. She fought back the urge to gasp as she caught sight of Bismarck in the depths.

The large beast no longer held in any color, all that remained was a lifeless gray. The Fal'Cie transformed into shining crystal, the last testament of the beauty it held, before shattering. The shards fell to the Spring's floor before dissolving, but she could see a small crystallized orb floating downwards. Vanille started swimming towards it, but not before she caught sight of the soldier.

Throwing her arms forward, she shot upwards to Lightning and silently thanked all the times she had swam through Oerban rushing rivers. _Why didn't she float to the surface? _A glint of silver caught her attention and she realized Lightning's gunblade had been holstered, just enough weight to keep her from reaching the surface.

Not taking any time, she grabbed Lightning and shoved the unconscious soldier upwards. She breathed in deeply to slow down her heart's racing, keeping a tight grip on Lightning. Holding on to Lightning with one arm, they moved slowly toward the water's edge.

_Why isn't Lightning awake like I am? . . What exactly happened to us?_

Previous experiences flashed like red flags in her head about what happened, but she chose to ignore it.

She assumed Lightning wasn't a very heavy person normally, but lugging someone who was unconscious and drenched onto solid land wasn't easy. She dropped Lightning, feeling utterly exhausted. She wanted to pass out next to the soldier, but one thing called for attention first.

Curious, she peered down at her thigh and held her breath as she moved the fabric to-

"Vanille!"

She shrieked and clutched her hand over her heart, feeling it thump against her hand. Arms wrapped around her and lifted her into the air.

"Fang!", she yelled happily and returned the hug to her fellow Gran Pulsian.

Fang put her back down and nudged Lightning with her foot, "She makes a promise to protect ya and she's sittin' here asleep."

Lightning's eyes snapped open and her gunblade was drawn, it's tip pointed a Fang. The soldier's blue eyes widened a moment before she sheathed the blade. Fang reached over and put Lightning in a headlock, ruffling the soldier's mess of pink hair. Vanille smiled as she watched the two.

Lightning escaped Fang's hold to stand beside her, bending down to murmur, "Are you okay?"

Vanille nodded and placed a quick peck on Lightning's lips, glad her soldier was well. Lightning gave her a soft smile before a happy squeak captured her attention. A blur of pink passed by her and crashed into Lightning.

"Claire! I'm so happy you're alright!", Serah tightened her hold on Lightning's neck and Vanille giggled at Lightning's shocked expression.

Deciding to save her lover's pride, she glanced toward Hope as he came running up, followed by the others.

He grinned and nodded to her, "I'm glad we finally found you guys. Took forever to lock onto your location."

"Yep! I'm sure Fang didn't make it any easier", she responded, laughing just thinking about her sister's antics when she was worried.

Hope's eyebrows knitted together as he looked around, "The Fal'Cie is supposed to be here, but I'm not seeing any signs of it."

"Oh!", Hope's words reminding her of the orb at the bottom of the lake.

She bounded up the columns of ground, hoping to get a higher view to see. It shined brightly in the water and she pointed at it to the director. Hope nodded, but frowned seeing how deep it was.

She nudged his shoulder, "Don't worry, I can fish it out."

xXx

_A crystallized throne._

_Preserved and shining, one feather descending from above. From it's downward spiral it landed in the seat of the extravagant throne. Everything was quiet in Valhalla, no longer a mass of chaos and destruction._

_Then. . what was she doing here?_

_Lightning didn't quite understand, but maybe the shimmering throne could tell her something. The last evidence of Etro's existence. Making her way up the translucent steps, she paused as she came before the divine seat._

_It was calling to her. Beckoning for her to join it in endless existence, passing the rest of her days. Who cares about the trivial ways of time itself?_

_Lightning stepped forward._

xXx

"She makes a promise to protect ya and she's sittin' here asleep."

The statement was accompanied with a sharp jab to her side, immediately garnering her attention from her state of rest. Lunging upwards, she reached behind her back and for some reason expecting a sort of safety to come with it. She was rewarded when her hand grasped the hilt of a weapon, one that seemed to put her at ease when she unsheathed it. She pointed it at her opponent, sizing up how much of a problem she would be.

The green eyes of the woman in front of her glittered with amusement, while the shorter girl beside her watched her with adoration. The redhead didn't call for much attention, something in the back of her mind warning her not to attack her. There was some sort of bond between them, but the other made her hackles raise. _Who?. . _

Lightning stopped as her memory came rushing forward and shoved her gunblade back into it's holster, hoping they would just assume she reacted to be woken up so harshly. _What the hell was that?_

Typically, Lightning had a solid memory. It came in handy when she kept up with where Serah was at all times and when she was supposed to be home. Never once had she forgotten something important and she could honestly say she had _never_ forgot who her _family _was.

She went ramrod straight when one experience did leave her dazed and forgetful, but. . _that couldn't have happened._

Fang, always the one to be annoying, grabbed her and was loudly declaring how much she missed her 'Sunshine', before she was able to shove the tribeswoman off. Recovering quickly, she approached her Dia to inquire if she was okay.

Her heart melted when Vanille nodded and proceeded to kiss her briefly. She couldn't help the smile that came across her face, but it quickly dissolved when she sensed something. Lightning couldn't quite identify what was-

That's when something tackled into her, muttering all sorts of nonsense, and almost bowled her over. _Serah_. .her sister was latched onto her tightly and from past experiences, probably crying.

Over her sister's head she could see Vanille skip off with Hope following closely behind, before she had to pry Serah off. Snow was a few steps backs, along with Noel, both snickering at Lightning's predicament.

"Calm down, Serah", she urged as she took a step back from the youngest Farron.

Serah's head dropped and Lightning rolled her eyes, giving her sister a quick embrace, "I'm sorry for worrying you."

The little pinkette's eyes lit up, not looking like a kicked puppy anymore. Lightning shook her head as she was dragged to where Hope and Vanille were. . _fishing?_

She shoved Serah down quickly when Vanille yanked the rod backwards, sending a shimmering sphere into the air and into Hope's waiting arms. Vanille turn around and gave them a sheepish smile, giggling.

"Well that's two down, how'd you guys pull it off?", Hope asked, inspecting the piece of crystal.

Lightning glanced at Vanille, who offered her an unsure shrug. What could they tell them when they didn't know exactly what happened? Vanille reached past her fur pelt and tapped her own thigh, slowly so no one else would notice. Then she moved her hand to place it over her heart and gave her a questioning look.

Lightning didn't have to ask, she knew the question Vanille was inquiring.

"We-", a furious yell cut her off and made them all slip into battle stances.

A group of Oerbans charged into view from the tunnels, the Yuns of the town leading it. Fang whipped out her lance and looked at her. Fang's questioning look asked, _"Friends?"_ and she could only shake her head.

Fang smirked and whirled her lance nonchalantly as she walked towards the Oerbans, making some slow down, looking confused. Apparently they hadn't been informed the ones they were following were fellow Oerbans.

"Now that's a group of Yuns, ya see Sunshine? Any of them could kick yer ass", Fang tossed her head over her shoulder to crack a smile at her.

Vanille brushed against her before she had a chance to tell Fang to shut up. A few Yuns stepped forward, all looking like they had more than their fair share of war than the others. A movement out of the corner of her eyes caused her to look at the caved in ceiling.

A row of archers lined the edges, all aimed and prepared to shoot. Her eyes met one and a shouts followed that they had been spotted. Lightning felt it go in slow motion as the strings tightened with tension from the people pulling it back until it was taught. She shoved Vanille behind her, not knowing whether it would do any good with this many bows. Snow had stood in front of Serah, becoming a perfect wall of stone to protect her sister.

The archers let the strings go, the arrows darting at all of them at a blur of movement.

Vanille jumped in front of her and raised her hands at the arrows, not giving a second for her to process what the hell was happening. A bright light, verging on yellow and green, illuminated the air around them and the arrows stopped just as they reached them.

As if something stopped them.

Lightning let off a sigh, not realizing she had held her breath and looked around. Only magic could've saved them from that. . _but. .Vanille?_ She looked down at the girl in front of her, whose hands were glowing, the light slowly diminishing.

"Vanille. . magic, that was protect. . ", she mumbled as Vanille turned around.

The Dia swallowed thickly and her emerald eyes were shining with achievement. Lightning pulled Vanille close to her, feeling the rapid heartbeat of Vanille. Snow and Fang dashed forward to take down the advancing Oerbans on the ground, leaving them to deal with the ones above.

The archers were prepared to shoot again and she doubted Vanille could pull another protect off. Feeling a familiar rush of energy pour into her left hand, she stepped forward and raised her hand.

Bolts of lightning rained down with the sound of thunder rolling in the distance.

**Author's Note**

hi! :] since Skys computer broke and shes out of town at the moment so she asked me to put this up for her. i'm guessing this is the right one because she said it was in final fantasy xiii too just like her others. for now i'll be putting up the chapters for her (obviously she writes them tho) so read & review!


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: All rights to Square Enix; I claim nothing.**

Lightning smirked as the electricity embraced the archers' bodies. It reminded her when she was younger and teachers would always say there was a string attached to her head, acting as if pulling it would fix their posture. Lightning raised her eyebrow at the archers, _someone yanked their strings._

The archers dropped like flies from the caved in roof, meeting an unforgiving ground below. Lightning grimaced as their skulls collided with the floor, making a harsh crack with each impact.

They weren't so different than she. All were fighting for what they believed in. All had a family that would mourn the lives she had just robbed them of. She had never been one to run around chanting about peace, but this was just because a misunderstanding.

_Aren't they all, though?_

Tightening the grip on her gunblade, it gave her the familiar comfort that a target was a target. Besides it was a paradox, this battle would never happen. Would never weigh on her conscience.

Vanille nudged her, bringing her back from her mind to the reality. She gave a quick nod before facing the Yuns.

Every part of them screamed they were ready to start the assault. The body language was a clear factor of that and the main point was the wonderful look Shay was shooting straight at her. It was that look that yelled, "I'm going to kill you." Not like she hadn't got that look on numerous occasions; no, she had gotten that look plenty of times. It was just the first time that she would have to pay closer attention or that message would come true.

Searching for the pool of energy in her being, she reached for the magic and felt it respond to her call. Urging it forth, lightning crackled to life in her hand and spiraled down her gunblade. Immersing itself into the metal, the gunblade lit up with power.

The first slash through her opponents ranks she was unsure, did she really possess the limitless power again? By the second she was thrilled with the power flowing through her again. For once, it seemed, she had caught a break. It was a rush, the magic pouring throughout her body with each pulse. It felt as if someone had unleashed the floodgates, all the energy washing over her.

She spotted Shay amidst the fray, the chained whip grasped tightly within the other woman's hand and a growing ball of fire in the other. Lightning smirked, conjuring electricity to dance off her fingertips. Never had she felt so powerful than when she was a L'Cie. Life had went from grey to a pallet of colors.

In the back of her mind, she struggled to keep from losing herself amongst the high the power caused.

She had always favored the element of her namesake, it had always seemed so fitting. Who better to master lightning none other than her? From the way Shay was rushing at her, the woman still was underestimating her, even with magic. Blaming it on Fang's influence for taunting, she smiled at Shay and hoped it got under her skin. Lightning glanced at the magic weaving itself around her hands, she would just have to show her.

Vanille hummed as she waved her hand at an Oerban, casting Stop to freeze him in his tracks. Fang swept upward with the blood red lance and knocked the warrior unconscious. She giggled as Fang smirked at her before whirling onto another opponent.

Vanille casted her eyes about, the Oerbans who had chased them were either knocked out or had deserted their formation once Fang and Lightning had charged them. A few stragglers were quickly being taken care of by Snow.

She smiled, feeling of use now that her magic was returned. She knew physically she could be taken out easily, but with the magic she had it made her feel more equal to the others. Vanille knew her family would protect her, it was just nice to be able to do the same.

An explosion to her side caused her to jump and snap her head to the sound. Lightning stood facing Shay as the Oerban dropped to the ground. She flicked her wrist for the blade to rotate and slid it back into it's sheath.

Lightning's icy eyes caught hers and softened as the soldier smiled at her, her stride taking her easily to her direction. Her breath caught in her throat when Lightning's hand was glittering as the sun hit it. Lightning gave her a confused look, probably wondering why she had tensed. She reached out and caught Lightning's hand, seeing the crystal creeping up onto her bicep.

"Tch", Lightning breathed out when she took notice of the sparkling crystal and brushed at the crystallized arm.

Instead of dissolving into the twinkling lights, it remained on Lightning's arm, showing no signs of it's removal. Vanille stared up at Lightning and the honest look of shock displayed on her face.

"Lightning. . why isn't- you haven't made any more stupid deals have you? If you did, I swear to Etro-", Vanille started, but stopped when Lightning's eyes widened as Serah called her name.

Vanille quickly wrapped her arms around Lightning's as Serah bounded towards them. Lightning leaned down and mumbled a quiet thanks in her ear.

Worry crossed Serah's features as she tilted her head, "You alright Vanille?"

"Yep! Are you okay, Serah?", Vanille directed it back at her, trying to keep her from looking at Lightning's arm.

No doubt if the younger Farron looked closely she could spot the shining crystal encasing Lightning's arm. Serah smiled and nodded, peering over her shoulder as Snow ran up to them.

Snow pounded his fists together, "Heroes always win, right babe?"

Vanille took the moment of Serah and Snow talking to channel a cure into her hands and send it into Lightning's arm.

Glancing down, Lightning shook her head and muttered, "There's nothing to fix about it, Vanille."

Under her palms, she could feel the crystal slowly retreating before completely withdrawing from Lightning's hand. Vanille gave Lightning a smile before letting go of her arm.

"The crystal absorbs energy, it possibly just requires magic even when it's on me", Lightning contemplated as she held up her arm.

Serah grasped Lightning's hand, Lightning's motion causing her to attention to be redirected on them, "Your hand okay Sis? You're looking at it kinda funny."

Lightning cleared her throat and pulled her hand away, "It's fine Serah, nothing to worry about."

Hope walked forward, holding a device higher up as if it would make a difference in the signal, "You guys, I think we need to get to the next crystal."

Fang hooked her lance on her back, "Uh-huh, why's that?"

"Something's going wrong with it, it's energy output is decreasing by the second", Hope pointed on the device, displaying all sorts of different readings.

Lightning flicked her hand as if shooing something, "I can summon a portal, shouldn't be too difficult now."

Serah went rigid in front of them, her eyes darting between the both of them, ". . Why can you guys use magic now?"

Vanille felt her throat constrict as Fang narrowed her eyes and soon found the other's gazes settling on them. She hadn't exactly got a chance to check, but she had a good feeling she knew what it was.

Her hand went to the side of her thigh, remembering the burning pain from earlier.

"Fang-"

Fang shook her head, obviously not caring for any explanation, "Show us."

The guys coughed, almost in unison, all knowing where her brand was last time and excused themselves to stand in a circle away from them.

Fang tossed her head towards the guys, "Why don't ya make yourselves useful and grab the packs we left outside?"

Snow gave a thumbs up and the rest followed him out the cavern. Fang waved her arm for her to proceed once the guys had left. Lightning tensed beside her as she moved the fabric of her skirt.

Only for her to reveal a frosted white brand.

The only thing she felt was relief. Magic without a cost? It almost seemed to perfect, since when did they get an easier path? She didn't have a focus, didn't have any flash of visions.

Fang's jaw shifted back and forth, "I'm not sure whether I should knock yer teeth out or not Farron, but how's yours?"

"Same as hers, I'm assuming", Lightning said, refusing to meet her eyes.

Serah on the other hand wouldn't budge, "Come on, Claire, just check."

Vanille stared at Lightning as the soldier's muscles coiled as if she was being attacked. Lightning's jaw clenched so hard, she heard pops from the bone being clamped down. The icy blue eyes had flames behind them and Vanille was shocked, _What's the problem?_

Vanille searched her memories for any indication that would make the soldier tense over the subject. _Her brand is over her heart, does she just not want to show it?_ Vanille's shoulders sagged when another possibility came to mind.

Lightning seemed worse off than she was when Bismarck branded them, could it be that- Vanille stopped the thought before she could finish it, refusing to even humor the idea.

She ribbed the soldier for her to do it and a huff was her only response. Lightning tilted her head up and grasped the zipper before pulling it down.

Sharply contrasting the pale skin was a black brand burned into her flesh, it's red eye still closed in the center.

"Lightning. . ", was all she could manage as the brand stood angrily against Lightning's skin.

Lightning glanced down and for the second time that day, Lightning looked genuinely surprised. The soldier's mouth opened, but she didn't say anything before closing it again and staring at the brand.

That's when she took in the actual appearance of the brand. It wasn't a Gran Pulse or Cocoon brand, for what she knew and she trusted her judgment when it came to brands. She almost wanted to grab the soldier and bring her closer so she could get a better look at it, but figured it probably wasn't for the best. Now that she looked at it though, it reminded her of Etro's symbol that usually flared to life in Lightning's eyes. It seemed wrong to carry the goddess's symbol when it was harshly colored black and red, nothing of the beautiful golden glow that she associated with Etro.

Her ears pricked when she heard Fang sigh and put her hands on her hips, having forgotten all about them standing there. Serah still stood staring at Lightning dumbfounded. Lightning let out a short laugh, shocking them all.

"Proof of the promise I made. . ", Lightning mumbled and gave a wink to her.

Vanille felt a serious of emotions through that one wink. Between wondering why the hell she just winked at her in a time like this and thinking that it was extremely attractive, she pondered what Lightning meant.

"Have you gone insane?", Serah asked incredulously

Lightning shook her head, "I made a promise that nothing would happen to any to you. I would be untruthful if she obtained a focus."

"Lets act as if Sunshine here didn't fall off the rocker for a moment. What's your focus Lightbulb?", Fang asked.

Lightning glared at Fang with each use of the nicknames before shrugging, "Stop chaos would probably be an accurate assumption."

Lightning was yanked forward when small hands grabbed her collar and Vanille was shocked as Serah was suddenly very intimidating. The younger Farron glanced to the ground formulating her words before shaking her sister.

"Listen here Claire Farron, if you keep acting so damn nonchalant about this I'm going to kick your ass for being such an idiot. What the _hell _is your focus?", Serah gritted her teeth, grinding out each word for maximum effect.

And hell, did it work. Lightning's eyes widened and Vanille found a small laugh escaping her from the look of pure shock on Lightning's face. Apparently she never thought her baby sister would talk to her with such a tone or words.

Lightning, still being forced to look Serah straight in the eyes, swallowed before continuing rapidly, "I don't know honestly Serah, did you know yours last time? Like I said, I'm sure it's got to have something to do with chaos."

Serah's eyes searched Lightning's for anything else before she released the soldier and raked her fingers through her hair. Vanille raised her eyebrow, _guess the scare tactic is in their genes. _

"I don't know what to do with you Claire", Serah said exasperated and threw up her hands.

Lightning's eyes met hers pleadingly and she smiled, not having the heart to be mad at her soldier after such a display from her sister. Vanille nodded her head for the guys to come back and reached over to zip up Lightning's turtleneck.

She let out a breath, it was easier to think without the brand boldly declaring itself to them. Lightning hand slipped into hers and she felt Lightning kiss the top of her head. She leaned into the soldier, knowing whatever her focus was that they could handle it.

She didn't feel as stressed as Serah did over the brand, maybe it was the effect of being branded twice before. She knew of the consequences, but she had never truly suffered through them or at least not permanently. She woke from crystal twice, so it didn't seem truly daunting as it did to Serah.

Looking to Lightning, she could tell the soldier, though still shocked by her sister's actions, didn't seem to be bothered either. Her posture was straight, unbreakable with any of challenges. Vanille tilted her head, or maybe it was all just an act. A very good one at that, but she couldn't understand what good it would do to act unafraid. Vanille would be there to support her lover if she was unsure. Deciding to leave Lightning's automatic tough appearance alone, she glanced up as the guys approached hesitantly.

Snow jogged up with two bags in tow, "So what's up?"

"What's in those?", she asked, curiously peering down at the bags.

Noel tossed one to Lightning and she slipped it around her shoulders, "Hope said we would need stuff where the next crystal is and that we needed to hurry, so we went ahead and packed."

Snow stared at them for a moment, "So. . do you guys have brands or. . .?"

"We just don't have enough time to be playing around with, nothing more.", Lightning cut through before anyone could say anything.

"Lightning's got an active brand", Serah said giving Lightning a smug look.

Vanille tightened her grip on Lightning's hand to calm the soldier, but realized it wasn't needed since the she had already been defeated by her younger sister.

"That true, Sis?"

Lightning rolled her eyes, "No, we thought it would be funny. Just kidding, Snow."

Vanille elbowed Lightning to stop the soldier from lashing out at Snow, knowing it would only lead to upset Serah further. Lightning clenched her free hand into a fist, before dropping her shoulders and muttering an unemotional sorry.

"Then we should hurry up, the crystals energy is almost depleted completely. Light, think you can get us there?", Hope urged the focus off his previous mentor and earned a smile from her and probably Lightning.

"Yes, where?", Lightning asked shortly.

Vanille assumed she was holding her tongue to keep Serah off her case. Hope started giving her latitudes and longitudes and Lightning nodded her head. Vanille giggled from Snow's look of awe, earning her a sheepish smile from Snow.

Lightning breathed evenly opening her eyes to reveal Etro's glowing symbol. Vanille squinted as another light joined it, this one projecting from her brand. Her eyesight was covered as her red hair whipped into her face from air spinning into the portal. Lightning blinked, the blue hue she loved returning to the soldier's eyes.

"Lets go", Noel grinned and jumped into the portal.

**Author's Note**

I'm extremely unintelligent for leaving this story without any updates for so long. Christmas break finally provided enough downtime to write and I'm truly sorry. I know my chapters should be longer for such a break, but I really don't have the attention span to continuously write, but I am already working on the next (it's already twice as long as my typical ones). Thank you to all of those who read this, reviewers or not, I really appreciate that you take enough time to read my story. Apologies, but read and enjoy. Feedback is thoroughly appreciated.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights go to those smart peeps up in Square Enix.**

Lightning squinted her eyes as the howling winds brought flurries into her eyes. The wind cut through her thin jacket and she questioned her outfit. A skirt, shorts underneath, turtleneck, and then a sleeveless jacket didn't seem to be hatched from some mastermind. It seemed more like a child playing dress up without ever taking in the details of what soldiers would have to go through.

Freezing snow being one of the things forgotten from the checklist.

Vanille's arms were wrapped securely around her, hers vice versa, trying to warm up from the chilling weather. Taking in Vanille's clothes she doubted her redhead had thought of these conditions either. Lightning smiled, _though, I wouldn't ask her to change. _

As of now, they were trudging through feets of snow following Hope as he continued to shake the malfunctioning machine. His silver hair was now a frosty white as she assumed all of theirs were, minus Fang's and Noel's dark hair that was showing through the snow.

Snow had taken off his jacket and draped it over Serah's shoulders. Lightning nudged Serah ahead of her, knowing that the jacket added weight. She felt as if she were dragging Vanille through the thick snow, but tried to keep her lover in Snow's path of packed snow as he trudged through the thickest.

"No one thought to put coats in these packs?", Lightning mumbled as she shifted the bag onto one shoulder to relieve pressure from the weight of it plus her gunblade in hand.

"Keep talking Lightning, I think you're in enough trouble, don't ya think?", Fang asked over her shoulder and eyeing Serah.

Lightning looked ahead at her sister to only meet the back of her head. Her sister's figure was hidden by Snow's jacket, making her wonder how tall was Snow exactly. The whole time her sister had barely said a word to her, directing questions to others that would usually be to her. It was aggravating and at the same time she wanted to just ignore it. Lightning could remember this conflict when they were younger; something annoying her so bad and yet she couldn't just look over it. It must be a special ability of younger siblings because it always worked in Serah's favor.

Placing a hand over the brand underneath her clothes, _not like I chose to be branded. _Truth be told though, she actually didn't care. If she was going to end of crystal, what's a time limit going to be? Lightning pictured the brand, it was obviously Etro's doing. She was confused about one thing, if she completed her focus she would become crystal. But if she didn't? She had no idea as to what would be the consequence if she didn't and she doubted Etro would turn her into a Cie'th.

"Hey Hope", Vanille's voice perked up beside her, "Where exactly are we?"

"Cocoon", Hope stated as he hit the device as if it would work any better under abuse.

Fang waved her hand trying to get his full attention, "Think you explain that a bit better mate, 'cause this doesn't look like Cocoon."

Lightning looked around and fully agreed with that statement. She couldn't remember a time in history when Cocoon was full of snow covered mountains and icy plains. Being away from Valhalla had made her memory fuzzy as of late though.

Hope stopped and turned around, "It's actually an earlier model of Cocoon. Getting a new planet in the sky is no easy task. When it was being tested they tried to make their own Fal'Cie to guard over them here."

"It didn't work out", Serah interpreted.

"No, it had some. . flaws. When this model was built they seemed to forget to make it able to sustain human life for very long, people froze after a certain time. The Fal'cie, Khuno, adapted the power to keep the weather a constant freezing point and they weren't able to reprogram this Cocoon. Eventually they shot it down and started over."

Noel shook his head sending snow falling down lightly, "So what's the paradox?"

Hope turned his palm upward, catching snowflakes, "All of this. During this time period, Cocoon should be in it's early stages of the one we lived in."

"So we destroy this entire planet?", Snow asked.

"No, rid it of Khuno and the temperatures will fluctuate until it reaches normal levels for human life", Hope shook his head and laughed at Snow's question.

Feeling Vanille shiver against her, she realized they had stopped and cleared her throat, "Keep moving before we freeze to death."

Taking Vanille's bag from her, she slipped it on and ignored the annoyed look she got from Vanille. She winked at the redhead and could see the hints of a blush through the snowflakes covering Vanille's face, along with a huff as Vanille continued walking. She laughed quietly, she hadn't realized a wink would get Vanille bothered, but the look she got back in Sulyya Springs was enough to convince her it was of good use.

"I need to do a few modifications on this before we can move on, right now we're walking blind. We need to find somewhere to get out of this snow", Hope said and showed the faltering machine.

Lightning squinted, trying to see through the small blizzard assaulting her face. Seeing they were closest to the base of the mountain, she figured there had to be caves somewhere. At the pace they were going, they would never be able to find any.

"We need to split up", she spoke and Hope nodded in front of her.

"It's probably best, two groups. Here Light, keep that on you and we'll be able to find your group", Hope said and tossed her communicator.

Snow smiled, "Alright! We call Sis and Vanille."

Lightning rolled her eyes and shrugged as Hope acquired Fang and Noel. Fang gave her a nod, entrusting Vanille to her safety.

"Okay, we'll get call ya if we find somethin'", Fang smirked and whirled her lance out before walking the opposite direction.

Lightning nodded and pivoted on her heel to follow the others.

xXx

Lightning was ready to fight something.

So much that the next snowflake that dared smack her in the face would be cut in half. They had been walking for forever and there was no shelter whatsoever. All there was snow, snow, and more snow. Not to mention the fact that she was in a group with the actual, very talkative, Snow.

Vanille had stopped talking a while ago and she was used to her love being the more optimistic one, causing concern to grow. Serah and Snow had taken to walking beside them, keeping Vanille and Serah in the middle of the line for warmth. At least she had gotten Serah to start looking at her again, so that was a plus.

A crack under her feet cause her to stop and grab Vanille, halting the whole line. Snow looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What's the prob Sis?"

"I'm not- whatever. Didn't you hear it?", she asked.

Snow shrugged, "The snow's sturdy, probably just heard it getting packed down."

"We've been walking for hours now, I think I know what that sounds like", she snapped.

Vanille gave her a scared look and she narrowed her eyes to figure out why when she caught Serah's glare at her. She sighed and shook her head to remove some of the snow off it.

"Look Sis, it's fine", Snow assured, dropping off his and Serah's bag and walked forward before jumping.

Lightning cursed under her breath and stalked towards him, "Are you stupid? It could be the most stable ice and you jumping on it could make it break!"

Lightning halted when she felt the ground shift underneath her foot. Looking at Snow, she gave him the best glare she could muster and thought every curse word she had ever learned. The snow groaned as a crack ran down. Water filled through the cracks as she found herself and Snow on the separated ice.

"Vanille, Serah, get away from the edge or you can cause it to break too!", she yelled and was immediately obliged.

The ice cracked again as it hit the side of another slab of ice, causing Snow to stumble back. Lightning knew what was happening as Snow tried to gain his balance only to fall harshly to the ice. She cringed when his head hit and he fell limply into the water. She heard Serah scream before Snow's loss weight on the ice caused it to dip, sending her skidding across the ice.

"Claire!", Vanille yelled while Serah was frantically looking in the water for Snow.

"Get back!", she snapped and braced herself for the cold water.

Serah looked at her with wide eyes, "But Snow-"

"I'll get him", she glanced at the water, preparing herself for the cold before plunging in.

She couldn't remember a time when she was so cold as this. It felt as if a thousand needles prodding her and an overall numbness that made her breathless. She could barely see and assumed it was due to the ice overhead blocking the sun's light.

Looking around, she forced herself not to gasp as this ice started reforming itself overhead. She needed to get Snow and quickly before she wouldn't be able to break through to the surface.

Through the darkness, it still wasn't too difficult to spot Snow's thick frame. Forcing herself to move towards the motionless hulk, she found her arms almost refusing to listen. Pushing through the numbing state, she slowly put Snow's arm around her shoulder.

Panic rushed through her when, though pumping her limbs furiously to the top, they still drifted downwards. Snow was just too heavy for her to force upward, especially with the packs on her back. Feeling her lungs start to burn, she quickly reached back and loosened the straps of the bag. Unshouldering hers, she watched as they descended into the dark depths. She hated wasting provisions they could need, but it was life or death.

Lightning shoved Snow's unconscious body upward and winced when he sank back towards her after hitting the top. The ice was forming another layer of ice, separating them from the top. No magic would work down here; fire wouldn't be possible, water would be stupid, and thunder would electrocute them. Seeing no other option, she grabbed Snow and slammed her free hand into the thickening barrier.

Knowing Snow had probably taken in enough water, she continued pounding at the ice. Cursing from the darkness entering the edges of her vision, she reached through the water and felt for her survival knife. Stabbing it into the ice, she felt her motions were slow and lacking the power required to get through. Picking at the weakening ice, she thanked Etro when Vanille's distorted face came into view.

Vanille's frantic motions made her kick her feet to send them backward and just in time as a staff broke through the ice. Making easy work out of the ice, Vanille's rod cleared enough room for her to get to the surface with Snow.

The air rushed into her lungs, relieving the light headedness pressure she had started to feel. It made her realize how quiet it had been under the water when Vanille grabbed her face and was trying to get her attention.

Not understanding a word the redhead was saying, all she could ask was, "What?"

Vanille stared at her worriedly and Serah dropped down to the ice beside them. Lightning started trying to shove Snow onto the stable ice, but found the cold seeping into her muscles. Seeing what she was trying to accomplish, Serah and Vanille started pulling at Snow's jacket.

"I never knew he was this heavy!", Serah grunted as she grasped Snow's collar.

Lightning felt herself sink after another push and clawed at the ice to stay above the water. Snow's form started to slip back the water without her effort and Serah's grip tightened. Vanille gripped her jacket and slapped at her face lightly.

"Lightning, try one more time, okay?", Vanille asked her, holding her face up to make their eyes meet.

She nodded and wrapped her arms around Snow's abdomen before kicking up with her legs. Serah and Vanille leaned over to meet her and hoisted Snow out of the water. Completely drained, she dropped her face onto the frosty ground and dug her fingers into the ice.

Lightning's eyes closed despite her striving not to.

xXx

Vanille's heart pounded in her ears as Snow finally landed on the ice beside them. They grabbed both of his arms and dragged him across the slab to the thicker snow, hoping to avoid the same mistake twice.

Vanille glanced at Lightning as they pulled Snow to see the soldier's head drop to the ground and her hands go slack. Without the hold, Lightning's body slipped deeper into the waters.

"Serah!", Vanille yelled, capturing the pinkette's attention immediately.

Letting go of Snow, they dashed to the edge and grabbed at Lightning's arms to keep her from going under. Getting a hold under the soldier's arms, they pulled her limp body out of the freezing waters.

She put her hand against Lightning's pale face, "Lightning. . .Claire, wake up."

Lightning stirred and mumbled something quietly, her eyes opening just barely. Serah dropped down beside them and brushed the hair that had plastered itself against Lightning's face.

"Thanks Sis", Serah muttered when Lightning's eyes slid shut again.

Vanille looked around them, searching for any sort of shelter to stay in for the time being. They couldn't stay in this cold, Snow's and Lightning's lips were already a warning blue.

"We need the others, we can't move Snow", Serah scowled at her finance's large form.

Lightning slowly tapped her jacket's pocket and Vanille reached into it to find the communicator. She sighed as she pressed the button hoping for it to whirl to life, but instead it stayed silent.

"Claire it's broke from the water", Vanille slipped it back into Lightning's pocket, knowing Hope would try and fix it later.

Lightning's shoulders clenched as she laughed, "Oh. . "

Vanille shook her head, Lightning wasn't in the right state of mind to be of any help. Snow was still out of it, probably shock from the cold. They had no way of getting in touch with the others. Easy way to put it, they were screwed.

Serah almost jumped off the ground and glared angrily at Lightning, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Vanille could see the sparks coming off Lightning's hand and the smirk still evident on the soldiers face. The sparks raised into the air, but fizzled before it was even a few feet up. Serah huffed and clenched her fists after shaking the snow from her hair.

Then it clicked with Vanille, raising her hand she shot a ball of fire into the air. Hoping the others would see it, she channeled a larger one and sent it hurling into the atmosphere.

Serah tilted her head at Lightning, "You couldn't have just told us that?"

Lightning remain unresponsive and Vanille assumed she finally had passed out from the cold. Seeing there was a small overhanging of trees, she thought it was the best bet until the others could get there.

"Claire's easier to move, lets get her first", Serah suggested, noticing the area like she did.

Vanille nodded and grabbed under Lightning's arms as Serah gripped her legs, "Try not to get water on you, that would be all we would need if you got cold too."

Serah gave a sad smile as they picked Lightning up and moved her in the makeshift shelter. Not even trying to pick up Snow, they each grabbed an arm and dragged him through the snow.

"I feel like we killed him and are getting rid of the body", Serah joked beside her.

Vanille laughed, brushing off her hands, "What's next then?"

"Make a fire? The smoke could help the others find us", Serah said as she looked around for firewood, "I don't know how to start one though."

Vanille giggled and snapped her fingers, a small spark of fire erupting, "I can handle it."

Serah grinned and set about picking up wood that wasn't too damp from the snow, building up a pile. Vanille held her flaming hand close to the ground, drying the snow off the ground for the base of the fire. Serah threw a few sticks down and Vanille casted over it, creating a small crackling fire.

Serah looked in thought for a moment, "We should take off their clothes."

Vanille was glad for the fire casting a glow over her face, without it Serah could've seen her face lit up, "W-why do you say that?"

"Obviously not all their clothes Van, calm down, but they are soaked", Serah said, teasing in her tone.

She relaxed for a moment, "Yeah, I guess."

Vanille unclasped Lightning's jacket and removed her skirt, feeling her face heat up. Serah was folding up Snow's shirt as she glanced at Lightning.

"Turtleneck too, the shorts are fine though", Serah stated.

Vanille stared at Serah, who merely waved her hand and ignored Vanille's flabbergasted face.

"Yer terrible, y'know that right?", Vanille asked as she unzipped Lightning's turtleneck.

Serah giggled, but it rapidly diminished as Lightning's brand came into view. Vanille could hear her own intake of breath from seeing the brand. She wasn't sure what the key factor was, maybe it just was the brand.

Or it could've been the fact that the eye was halfway open.

"That's- why is it progressing so fast- why is her's different-. . Vanille!", Serah asked a multitude of questions before even giving her a chance to answer.

"I don't know- I mean, it does that if she suffered traumatic events, but nothing should've cause it to be this fast", she rambled.

Vanille slipped the rest of the turtleneck off, still feeling her face heat, but not nearly as much as she focused on the questions at hand. Serah disappeared for a moment before coming back, dragging two packs behind her. Digging through them, Serah tossed Vanille a blanket and draped one over Snow. Vanille did the same for Lightning and laid close to the shivering soldier.

"What's going to happen", Serah wondered aloud.

"I don't know", she answered truthfully.

Serah scowled at the fire in a very Lightning-like manner, "I guess we should get some rest, there doesn't seem to be any monsters here."

Vanille nodded and snuggled closer to the blanketed soldier, still feeling Lightning shivering under it. The crackling fire and the slow warmth it distributed lulled her into an easy sleep.

xXx

Lightning's journey back to consciousness was pressing. Her mind felt fuzzy, a haze over her mind that left her confused. Knowing her motor functions weren't up to par, she focused on just opening her eyes.

She found herself staring at trees overhead and an overcast sky hanging above it. The trees managed to prevent most of the snow from falling over top them, but she still felt frost edging on her face and clinging to her hair.

Turning her head to the side, she had to close her eyes for a moment to get over the rush of dizziness that attributed to just a slow movement. She allowed herself a moment of peace, focusing on the sounds hitting her eardrums. It was quiet other than the sounds of soft breathing and the crackling of a fire.

Lightning took notice of just how cold she felt, though she could feel the fabric of a blanket over her. The ache in her body gave hint that she had been laying still for a while, leaving soreness in the tensed muscles. Taking account of the blanket, she realized she couldn't feel her shirt resting at her neck.

Finally resolving to open her eyes again, she pulled her resisting body into a sitting position and found her clothes sitting next to the fire. A strong grasp clinging to her hands made her glance down to see Vanille sleeping beside her. Tsking, she draped the blanket over the redhead. Lightning gently pried Vanille's death grip of her fingers off and set her sights on her clothing.

Placing her palms on the ground she pushed up to make a step towards her clothes. Her knees immediately buckled and sank to the ground, making her curse her current state. She bit back a groan as her body protested even thought of trying to move again.

Slender arms wrapped around her and she snapped her head over her shoulder. Regretting it, she closed her eyes trying to regain composure from the vertigo that took hold. Taking deep breaths, she opened her eyes to see Vanille looking at her worriedly.

"You should be more careful Claire", Vanille chastised quietly and pulled her back to her starting position.

Vanille gave her a look that said, "Stay there", the Gran Pulsian stepped to her clothes and handed them to her. Lightning felt a heat creeping from her neck when she realized her state of dress and quickly zipped up the turtleneck. She clasped the belt of her jacket and reached up to fix the collar when hands closed around hers.

She could only watch as Vanille brushed her hands away and grabbed the collar. The redhead folded it over from past creases and flicked one side up.

Fiddling with her collar for a moment, Vanille glanced up at her, "Are you okay?"

Lightning nodded and felt. . tension? Maybe it wasn't accurate for this instance, it wasn't aggressive in any way, but awkward? Possibly, but she couldn't imagine as to why Vanille would be hesitant in front of her now. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to identify the reason to Vanille's more _sullen_ mood.

"I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't have did that, we had to save Snow, but you should think things through first", Vanille said as she focused on the ground, hands still clenching her collar.

Lightning reached her hand up and intertwined it with one of Vanille's to bring it to her face, absorbing the warmth, "I'm sorry."

Vanille sighed and leaned to press her lips against hers briefly, ducking her head under her chin afterward, "I know."

Vanille's hand illuminated a soft green hue and she immediately felt the cobwebs that cluttered her mind loosen their hold. She mumbled a thanks and got a nod in return.

Lightning clenched her teeth, wondering if she should even pry. Vanille would leave her alone if she obviously didn't want to speak, but the redhead's odd reactions were troubling. Eventually, concern outweighed space and she couldn't help but wrap her arms around Vanille protectively.

"What's wrong?"

Lightning's question was quiet and so was the air following. She waited moments and didn't receive a reply. Opening her mouth to push further, she snapped it shut when Vanille's body jerked slightly. A light sniffle was easily heard in the quiet, leading Lightning to notice a growing dampness on her neck.

Gently, she brought Vanille's chin up to face her and could see the clear tracks of tears running down her face. Brushing the tears off with the pads of her thumbs, she placed a quick peck on Vanille's lips.

Knowing she was treading on thin ice, Lightning scowled mentally at her own thoughts of the forsaken weather, she cautiously repeated her question, "Vanille, what's wrong?"

Brilliant green eyes darted around, avoiding her eyes entirely, "Y-your brand. H-have you seen it?"

"No, but I guess you did in your strip search", Lightning joked, but failed to find even her own humor when Vanille still continued to avoid her eyes.

Vanille swallowed and her voice was hoarse, bringing pains to Lightning's chest, "It's progressed. Claire, it's halfway open!"

Lightning paused, gritting her teeth as reasons ran through her mind. Why would her brand fly through all it's normal stages? Etro hadn't shown her anything as of late, though when her arm wouldn't uncrystallized it had terrified her. Etro could be trying to push them along, but there wasn't much faster they could go without running themselves ragged.

Deciding to save the unknown answers for a later time, she smiled at Vanille, "I'm still not understanding, we knew we were on a time limit. We'll get it done and then there's no need to worry because it'll be gone."

Vanille shook her head, "What happens if it's not the time Claire?"

Lightning's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and Vanille's hands clenched hers tighter, "Claire, what happens if it's you're actions? You fought after getting branded and you just jumped into freezing water, it can't be helping it! I think. . maybe you shouldn't fight with us, what happens if it goes too far because of you pushing yourself too hard?"

Lightning bit back a scoff, hoping to preserve Vanille's feelings. If a fight and a simple swim sped up the process then she would just have to deal with it. A brand wouldn't hold her back, maybe hinder, but she would never sit in the background.

"You know that wouldn't ever happen, Vanille. Do you really expect me to allow you all to fight in my place? Even if it speeds up, I doubt you would want me to take this sitting down and without a fight at all", Lightning began, hoping her voice was quiet enough not to wake her sleeping sister, but stern enough to cause conviction.

Vanille fell quiet, biting her lip as she thought. Lightning sighed and wiped her lover's face clear of tears again, before placing a kiss on her cheek and bringing her against her. Vanille's arms wrapped around her shoulder and she could feel Vanille nuzzling her shoulder.

"Time's not going to problem and I promise I'll be more careful, okay? Don't cry, it's not worth that", she swore in Vanille's ear.

Vanille nodded against her and she chuckled quietly, "So, . . you just couldn't keep your hands off me?"

Vanille's head jerked back, clipping her chin in the process, and she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at Vanille's flushed face, "No!. . I mean, I had to, Serah told me to!"

"Quit teasin' me", Vanille huffed as she sat beside her.

Lightning smiled and grabbed the blanket to tuck around the redhead's shoulders, "I never realized it was so easy."

Lightning was grateful for the cure that had seeped from Vanille's hand, but now taking it's place was drowsiness. Her eyelids grew heavy and the only thing keeping her centered was the cold snow underneath her. Vanille drew back away from her, leaving warmth to be desired at her side.

"You're cold", Vanille stated and dragged her aching body closer to the fire.

Lightning sighed as Vanille pushed her shoulders down and cradled her head in her lap. Closing her eyes as Vanille ran her fingers through her hair, she could feel her still damp clothes clinging to her body.

"You're lucky I'm not drawing a line", Vanille said above her.

Lightning opened her eyes slightly, "What?"

Vanille smiled and shook her head, her fingers stopping at the base of her head.

"Just go to sleep."

**Author's Note**

XD twice as long, though I was hoping to just go ahead and get this place over with in one chapter, but whatever. The end's near, so I appreciate you guys sticking with this story and liking it; I'm guessing around 3 or 4 more chapters. R&R ^_^

Khuno: god of snowstorms (Aymara mythology)


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, everything from final fantasy belongs to Square Enix.**

* * *

Vanille's muscles tensed and she resisted the urge to scream as the huntress dropped from above. Her hand squeezed Lightning's as she tried to keep from jumping off the ground. Giggling as Lightning jolted awake, the soldier flicked open her knife at Fang before the Oerban knocked it to the side.

Lightning grunted and rolled her shoulders, "Took you long enough to find us."

"Hmm, maybe if someone wasn't over there sleepin', I wouldn't of had to come so far, yeah?", Fang grinned lazily at Lightning who only scoffed in reply.

"Fang that's not fair, you don't even know what happened", Vanille looked pointedly at Fang to stop the teasing.

Fang shrugged and plopped down beside them, elbowing Lightning in the ribs to gather her attention, "What's wrong with the giant over there?"

"He's suffering from stupidity."

Fang whistled, "Millions suffer from that, y'know. . .That bad, huh? Must've done somethin' ta get ya like that."

Vanille shook her head as the two women in front of her joked at Snow's expense. She was glad Fang and Lightning got along, they were bound to due to their cooperation during battles, but still she didn't think Serah would take kindly to them picking on her finance.

Deciding to interrupt them before Serah scolded them both, Vanille prodded Fang, "He fell in the water and Lightning helped 'em."

"You left out the part where he decided to test his weight. . on _ice_", Lightning shot an angry glance at the blonde who was shaking his head in an effort to wake up.

"Claire, you act as if Snow likes swimming in freezing water", Serah snapped and Vanille giggled as Lightning huffed and looked at her.

Vanille kissed Lightning's cheek and smiled, "I can't help ya, you two were askin' for it."

Lightning glanced at Fang, "Wait, where's the others?"

"Oh, I told 'em I would come get ya lazy vipers. Hope found us a good place to rest up and is fixin' his little device. . thing", Fang stuck the lance in the ground and pulled herself up, "Lets get out of this weather, it's cold yeah?"

Vanille leapt to her feet and clapped her hands, very much enjoying the idea to get out of the wind that was cutting to her bones. Turning around, she leaned down to grasp Lightning's hand and pull her up.

Lightning grunted as she wrapped her arm around the soldier's waste, "I'm fine Vanille."

"Yep", she agreed and Lightning went to pull away, only for her to tighten her grip.

Vanille was relieved when Lightning sighed, the breath hitting her ear and allowed her to help. She wasn't too sure whether or not she could believe Lightning's word when it came to her own well-being, considering Snow was seeming to be stumbling over his own feet.

Fang shook the communicator in her hand and growled, "Come on ya damn thing, work!"

Lightning smirked as they shuffled through the snow, "It's called interference, remember, shouting doesn't work."

Vanille rolled her eyes as Fang fell into step beside of them, grumbling all sorts of curses at the pink haired soldier. She knew what was going to happen as soon as she saw Fang stick her foot out in front of Lightning's unsuspecting foot. Lightning's reflexes were still not up to par and the soldier stumbled, causing her to trip as well. The added weight from her sent them both sprawling in the snow.

Lightning head jerked up from the snow, pieces attaching itself to her face, and glared at Fang. Vanille didn't have enough time to grab the soldier's jacket before she had thrown herself at Fang. Serah's hands wrapped around her arm and pulled her from the snow, shaking her head at their sisters' antics. Snow chuckled beside them, packing his namesake into a ball and winking at Serah.

"No Snow don'-"

Lightning looked up just as the snow was hurled into her face. The air went silent, minus Fang's laughter muted by her face in the snow. A quick kick to the side from Lightning's steel-toed boots only worsened the giggling huntress. Lightning stood and brushed herself off, her eyes boring holes into Snow.

Serah stepped in front of Snow and Vanille followed in front of her, "Please Sis, he was just playing."

Lightning went rigid, the icy eyes still bearing down on Snow as she reached behind her back and flicked out her gunblade.

Vanille glanced over her shoulder when Snow chuckled, "Just a game Sis, no need to kill me or anything."

Lightning's look shut him up, "What? . .No, focus, can't you hear that?"

Vanille listened and she immediately heard the rumblings of explosions. A blast in the air nearby had Fang on her feet and dashing towards it. Lightning slowed her run to stay close by her and she offered the soldier a smile.

"Come on, that's where I left the others!", Fang shouted ahead of them.

Lightning met her eyes and she nodded, the soldier squeezing her hand before pushing further ahead with Fang. Lightning's cape lashed in the winds as the two women disappeared through the trees. Vanille looked above the trees as she ran, the cloud of debris staying proudly in the air.

Snow crunching rapidly behind her alerted her to Snow's and Serah's fast approach. Slowing her pace slightly, she got in line with the two. Snow was grinning, but Serah's look was that of worry.

Snow gave them a thumbs up, "Come on, lets go!"

Vanille gave a quick nod and followed the path laid out by the lingering haze in the air ahead.

* * *

Lightning's breath came out in quick rasps, the scene in front of her doing nothing to assist it. Her eyes hovering over the collapsed cave momentarily, she pulled out her weapon. Flicking the safety off her gun, she tossed her head towards Fang.

"What the hell is that?"

Fang's lance whirled with a roll of Fang's wrist, it's blood red color becoming a blur, "Damn if I bloody well know."

Lightning's eyes traced the boomerang in the air, following it until it hit it's mark. The beast shrieked in more annoyance than pain and Lightning covered her ears to avoid the harsh noise. The _. . lizard?_ Lightning could only guess, was raging it's way across the ice. Jagged pieces of ice stood out like knifes on it's back. It's arms ended in razor sharp claws, wings extending out from it's forearms. Tilting her head, Lightning briefly wondered if dragon was more of an accurate guess. Staring more closely at it's wings, she corrected her earlier assumptions to that the webbed extensions were finns of some sort. The same finns ran up through it's shoulderblades and to the tip of it's forehead. Lightning scowled as a forked tongue flicked it's way out of the beast's mouth as it snarled.

Teeth poked out from it's jaw before it's mouth opened and coated the area in front of it in a thick layer of frost. Lightning narrowed her eyes at the beast as it's whole body tensed, the finns pulsating with blue waves before ice shards shot off from the large hulk.

Noel pulled both of his weapons up in an effort to defend himself and cast them an annoyed glance. Lightning raised her weapon to check the sights before firing off rounds at the beast's side. It's head whipped around, ice blue eyes narrowed into slits and let off a deafening roar.

"Good job Sunshine, now it's focused on us", Fang sneered as they leapt aside to avoid a row of icy knifes.

Choosing to hold back the retort on the edge of her tongue, she glanced when Hope's jumping figure caught her attention. Letting bullets tear at the beast's outstretched claw, she sprinted to Hope's side.

"That's Khuno, this Cocoon's only Fal'Cie", Hope stated as he stood up to brush the snow off of him.

"How do we defeat it?", she asked, not interested in more history lessons.

"No idea."

Lightning huffed and shifted her stance, watching as the Fal'Cie slithered across the ice. It's weight caused the ice to break underneath and Lightning scowled, _I'm not taking another swim anytime soon. _

"Aw man, check her out!"

Lightning glared over her shoulder at Snow's excitement, she could only hope Khuno would try and devour Snow. Vanille's hand slipped into hers and she squeezed it for comfort.

"So what's the plan Sis?", Snow looked at her eagerly and she couldn't help compare it to a dog begging.

She shrugged, "Just try not to fall in the water again."

Vanille poked her side and gave her a look, but the playful look in the green eyes betrayed the serious look. Letting go of Vanille's hand, she flicked her wrist and her weapon responded by rotating into it's bladed form. She gave a small smile to Vanille before nodding to Fang.

Focusing on the Fal'Cie, she snapped her head to the left as a barrage of shards flew at them. The beast finally noticed them as they came to a stop near it. It's constant shuffling left it surrounded by broken ice slabs. Lightning watched as it slinked across the water before scrambling onto the ice. It seemed as if it was adapted to both elements, causing Lightning to roll her eyes, _perfect._

Seeing it was on somewhat stable ground for the time being, Lightning ran forward and thrust her sword into the leathery hide. Lightning cursed as her blade merely slid against the thick skin and the Fal'Cie's head lashed around to face her.

"Shi-"

Lightning leapt up to avoid the icy whirlwind Khuno released at her and used her weight to drive the sword down onto the beast's neck. The Fal'Cie's mouth unhinged again and Lightning sighed with relief as hooks fastened onto the beast's head. Vanille pulled at the staff to yank Khuno around, allowing Lightning to push the blade again. Lightning tensed and thrust her head back as the spikes along it's back shot another round of icy shards out. Wincing when one caught the tip of her chin, she pulled her blade out and flipped off the beast's back.

The Fal'Cie shook it's head as if Lightning's attack was just an annoying fly and snapped as Fang darted past. Her blade had barely did any damage to Khuno and Fang's lance seemed to be having the same effect, or lack there of. The Fal'Cie ripped it's head away from Vanille's weapon and let out another blizzard. Fang rolled away just in time and the frost instead was sent on the creature's own foot. Hope wasn't so lucky and was sent flying from the lashing tail.

Khuno shrieked again and stomped it's foot around to try and release it from the icy hold. Lightning ran forward and ducked under the heavy footsteps to stab her sword straight at the ice.

"What are ya doin', helpin' the thing?", Fang's angry yell sounded and she shook her head, ignoring the Gran Pulsian.

Raising the blade overhead, she slammed it down as powerfully as she could onto the beast's encased foot. Lightning grimaced as the ice shattered. Along with Khuno's foot.

Somersaulting away, Lightning raised an eyebrow at Fang, "I doubt loosing a foot helps it."

Noel laughed shortly, running at Khuno and blades raised high. Lightning followed closely behind, rolling to the side when Noel did. They separated and Khuno lashed it's tail furiously at Noel, causing the ground underneath to crack. Lightning danced away from the water rising between the cracks, throwing herself to the side when claws met the space she had just occupied.

Snow ran forward and Lightning didn't have enough time to shoot him before his fist impacted with the ground. She shoved him out of the way as the ice crumbled and dark water pulled the Fal'Cie in.

Snow held up his hands, "Wait Sis! Look, now you and Vanille can freeze it easier."

Lightning watched the creature slide through the water and nodded her head as understanding washed over her. Vanille ran up to her side and she tightened her grip on the familiar gunblade.

"Stay away from the edge, but if you see any openings, freeze it", she warned and pushed Vanille out of the way as Khuno broke through the ice underneath them.

Lightning's left hand buzzed with energy as she outstretched it to fend off the claw descending on her. The limb froze rapidly due to the freezing temperatures of the water. Fang appeared at her side and the lance slashed down on the limb, shattering it off.

Lightning accepted the hand from her sister and was pulled up. Lightning quickly shifted to a defensive stance as shards flew towards her sister, her blade sending the ice ricocheting off. Khuno slipped under the surface, the dark water hiding it in the shadows.

Everyone fell silent and still as they all looked down, trying to spot the beast. Lightning twisted in the air as she was thrown upwards to avoid the teeth snapping on her cape. Magic slipped from her hand and ice encased Khuno's upperbody.

Lightning prepared for the killing blow as she descended, the hairs on her neck standing at attention. The breath caught in her throat and she felt the all too familiar uneasiness in her stomach. Lightning could do nothing as her blade slipped from her hand and she fell onto the snow, the magic humming throughout her body.

* * *

_The breath was stolen away as a shadowed figure dropped down, unknown to the redhead ahead. The emerald green eyes were similar, almost too close, to that of another's. The figure took no time to run the abnormally long blade through the redhead and disappearing again. A small crystalline orb dropped to the floor, bouncing down the steps and into the water._

_Breathing was difficult as the body was gingerly placed in the water, sinking down to where the girl would stay. All thoughts rushed from grief to an immense anger. Anger at the silver haired one with cat like eyes._

_Beware champion, another shadow of chaos arrives._

* * *

Vanille didn't understand what had went wrong. Her soldier was about to finish it, when she just. . fell. The snow turned to flurries in the air when she skidded to Lightning's side. Vanille sighed and brushed the hair out of Lightning's face, trying to avoid looking at the symbol in Lightning's eyes. Vanille squeezed Lightning's arms and gave a gentle shake, this wasn't the time for the goddess to be giving a call.

Lightning shuddered in her arms and her eyes blinked a few times before finally seeing where she was. The soldier stood up and gently pulled her onto her feet. Vanille grew concerned upon seeing Lightning's conflicted face.

Before she could ask, Fang's yell snapped her head to the battle to see Khuno free of the ice, it's thrashing crumbling it away. Lightning cursed beside of her and she gripped the soldier's arm before she could run off.

"Was it something we should worry about?"

Lightning looked down for a moment and then kissed her cheek, "Yeah."

For a moment she was conflicted, the happiness that Lightning wasn't hiding something was immense, but then the fear of what was going to happen burdened her. Lightning grew rigid beside her and Vanille could see her eyes darting everywhere. Looking past the Fal'Cie, Vanille spotted what Lightning was looking for.

A portal ripped through the sky, chaos tendrils seeping out the dark swirling hole. A cluster of shadows slipped from it and converged on the ground forming something. Vanille swallowed thickly as her throat went dry, _or someone more like._

"Worry about Khuno, I'll take care of him", Lightning muttered before nudging her towards the Fal'Cie.

Without waiting, Lightning ran forward with the gunblade at her side. Vanille dodged to the side when a tail slashed past her and threw out her hand to freeze it. Snow's fist crushed it and he gave her a grin. Serah's bow creaked beside her as the pinkette pulled the strings taut and let the arrows fly through the air.

Fang ran forward and leapt into the air, her lance slicing through the Fal'Cie's neck. Vanille covered her ears as the beast went into it's death throes before it was silenced. Feeling tugging on her sleeve, she turned her head to see what Serah was pointing to.

Vanille's eyes could barely trace the battle, both opponents were so quick. Lightning's pink hair was the only thing she could identify to know it was her soldier before they dropped to the ground. Lightning pointed her blade at the man kneeling on the ground. He rose slowly, the silver hair shifting to his back as he gripped the sword in his left hand.

Vanille could see his mouth move, but they were too far for her to even hope to hear. She froze when he looked at her, his cyan eyes had pupils that were similar to a cats. His black clothing stood out against the white expanse, the only exemption was the metallic shoulder pauldrons on his shoulders. The crooked smile that was sent her way made her step back. A crackling made her turn and see Khuno's body turn into shimmering crystal before shattering.

Fang laughed as she picked up the sphere and tossed it, "Now who's Sunshine's new friend?"

Vanille looked again to see the man running towards them with Lightning on his heels, "Fang. . ."

Noticing her worry, Fang stepped beside her and held her lance protectively in front of them after pocketing the crystal. Vanille forced herself to look past the man and at Lightning, the blue eyes screaming concern in them.

Then the man was upon them, his sword screeching against Fang's weapon. A kick sent Fang reeling backward and he narrowed his eyes at her. Noel ducked down beside her and swept the man's feet from up under him. Taking the opportunity, Noel stabbed his swords downward but didn't expect the man to just disappear.

Chaos swirled and the man reappeared, slamming the hilt of his sword at the back of Noel's head. The hunter crumbled to the ground and Lightning jumped over him to lock the blades together. Lightning glanced over her shoulder and looked at her. Vanille could see Lightning's muscles standing clearly on her arm and the effort she was using to keep the sword from slicing through both them.

"So is this what you cherish?", the man asked with a tilt of his head, inclining it to her.

"Save it", Lightning muttered and pushed Vanille back as she broke off from the shoving contest.

Snow ran forward and slammed his fist into empty snow as the man vanished again. The blonde looked back and forth, but failed to see the beam of energy coming from the man's sword as he thrust it down. They were all thrown off their feet from the explosion of power.

Vanille found herself yanked backwards as a sword sliced the snow at her feet. Lightning's arm was held out in front of her and Serah, forcing Vanille to hold back questioning. Why was this man attacking them so fiercely?

"Sephiroth, get back to your own time", Lightning words were harsh in the quiet snow.

Vanille looked around to see the others all wounded from the explosion and realized Lightning must've cast a protect around them. Serah was behind them, trying to wake Snow by shaking him vigorously.

Vanille gripped her staff, the way the man was smirking at Lightning making her shiver. He had just wiped them all out with one blow for the majority, what else could he do?

"I'm but just a memory there, here I am out to carry out a different task. Where is the crystal you strive to hide?", Sephiroth's eyes scanned over their fallen friends.

Lighting didn't say anything, only tensing by putting her finger on her weapon's trigger. Sephiroth noticed and Vanille watched as Lightning was knocked aside uselessly before she stood facing the man.

"You've made it too easy to defeat you, shattering a crystal isn't hard at all", he pointed the sword at Lightning.

Vanille gasped, failing to hide her surprise, "H-how?"

"You have three crystals now in your possession, but I understand you needed four. . though, the fourth is no longer. Tell me champion of Etro, will you survive with only three?", he asked and his eyes darted between them both.

"I assume you will tell me once I take away any distractions", the man grinned at Lightning before focusing again on her.

Vanille felt the weapon in her hands, but knew it would be useless at such a close range. Faster than she could blink, the masamune raced at her. Blood flicked onto her face and she stared at the pink head in front of her.

Lightning grimaced as she felt the sword running easily through her shoulder, not having enough time to fully parry the blade away. Sephiroth's face twisted to one of hate as he yanked the weapon out and stalked away from them. Vanille pressed her hand over Lightning's as they attempted to stop the blood flowing from the wound. Vanille called the energy in her forward and felt it release in soothing healing magic.

Lightning tried to wrestle out of her grip, "Vanille, we can't let him get away with that!"

Vanille turned her head to see the crystal in Sephiroth's hand as he stood over Fang, kicking the huntress away as she fought for it back. In his hands, the sphere swirled with darkness before completely turning to a solid black.

Feeling Lightning still struggle in her arms, she focused on the pain burning at her thigh and yelled the thing she knew would help her, "Hecatoncheir!"

The pain was washed away with a surge of energy and her eidolon exploded into existence. The eidolon immediately knew her wish and shot off rounds Sephiroth. The man dodged them easily, but forced him to focus on that more than getting to the portal awaiting him.

Lightning stood up, her shoulder illuminating a green hue as the soldier casted a cure on herself, "Help me heal the others, we can't let him get away Vanille, or it's over."

She nodded and ran to Fang, waving her hand over the huntress, magic floating off her fingers. She watched Lightning do the same over Hope and slap his face lightly. Keeping focus on their conversation, she moved on to Noel.

"Hope, what happens if he destroyed one of the crystals and has another?", Lightning asked the delirious director.

"I-it could work with three, unless he shatters another. . You mean he hasn't destroyed the second yet?", Hope shook his head as Lightning pulled him to his feet before seeing what the soldier was pointing at.

Hope frowned, "That's. . that's bad, he's going to do what we were. Transfer the energy from the crystals to the thrown, just with chaos. What would happen if the throne was taken by chaos?"

Vanille stared at Lightning as the soldier dipped her head, "Nothing good will come of that."

"Then lets get 'em, doubt Van's eidolon can hold 'em much longer", Fang rolled her shoulders as she stood up.

Vanille could feel the power withdrawing as her eidolon shimmered before shaping into her crystal. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed at them before he disappeared in a swirl of chaos and through the portal.

Vanille looked up as rose petals fell lightly in front of her to see Lightning's outstretched hand from her perch atop Odin. Out of all the times for Lightning to be smiling so brightly, she couldn't help but giggle.

"Lets go", Lightning said as she wrapped her arms around Lightning's waist.

The others were running to the portal, but Vanille wasn't concerned. Lightning and Odin were just as fast as Sephiroth, they would win. Then finally, maybe things could calm down. For once she would like getting out of something without crystal being her only option.

Nuzzling into Lightning's back, she could only hope for the best.

"Yep!"

* * *

**Author's Note**

Not too long for an update, hope it's okay because the next one may take some time. I'm a bit sad it's almost over, but y'know it's kinda time. I've never taken so long to write a story before ^_^ I really appreciate the reviews, makes me happy to know you guys like it. Read and Review XD


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: All rights go to Square Enix.**

Hooves thundered against the grainy sand underfoot, the eidolon's occupants saying nothing as they swept across the desolate beach. The sand thick from saturation of water, each impact with it jolting the L'Cie up. Lightning clenched her teeth to absorb the force, focusing on the structure ahead in the distance.

Castle, tower, whatever it may be, was where she had stayed for so long to guard Etro. Maybe so long it had turned to years, even with Valhalla's lack of time. Or maybe not long at all, her internal clock was past damaged. It stood higher than the rest, but yet crumbled just as all those before it. The lifeless sea, abandoned town, and a damn castle was all that Valhalla was. Was all that it took to rip her away from her life.

When she had first arrived in Valhalla, she had no where to go but to the goddess. A goddess who had saved part of her family and sent the others to be sacrificed into the crystal. Lightning had felt conflicted at first while serving Etro, but it was wiped away when Cauis had threatened all of humanity. Some things just had to be overlooked in times like that.

She would not be subjected to gazing over the flat waters and dull skies that was Valhalla again; no matter the cost. Arriving with her family and leaving with them was her only goal at the moment, no longer did she give a damn about the rest of the world. The only reason she was stopping the chaos was to protect her family, let the rest of the world rot for all she cared. They had all did more than their fair share of time; it was time for someone else to take the burden of the world off their shoulders for once.

_Just have to fight one more time, just secure the goal._

Wholeheartedly, she knew it was most certainly impossible to come out of this easily, but they had overcame worse. Now that she was in Valhalla she had an advantage, she knew this land and what it provided. Like the fresh magic running through her veins, assuring her she wouldn't lose when it came to battle. Magic was attracted to Etro's guardian here, maybe due to her being the only one pledged to it's master. The magic understanding she wouldn't use it with bad intentions; for her own purpose maybe, but she always did what was right. Or at least, what she thought was right.

The energy renewed her hopes, providing the life draining brand on her chest with something other than her own life source. The halt of time also stopping it in it's tracks, making Lightning feel elated with the thought of no bounds holding her back.

The hands that grasped Odin's neck weren't crystal, nor could she feel crystal creeping up them. She was free of her burden in Valhalla, let the chaos throw what it could at her.

The slender arms around her waist tightening briefly, Lightning threw her head over her shoulder to catch a pair of bright emerald eyes. The wind whipped pink tresses in her face and Vanille's red hair flowed freely behind the Gran Pulsian.

"How will the others make it in time?", Lightning strained to hear Vanille's question as the wind stole it away.

The corners of her mouth twitched upwards and she nodded towards the darkened sky, "I think they'll find a lift."

Vanille's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, "But how-"

Her question was answered as an earthquaking roar shattered the silence they had formed, the striking white form of Bahamut shooting through the air. The rest of their family sat positioned on the dragon, some more so than others. Hope and Noel seemed to be hanging on barely, their forms lashing in the winds. Fang's laughter rose above it all as the eidolon dipped through the air to glide over the land beside Lightning with ease.

"They may not still be our eidolons, but they'll help us", Lightning told them firmly, nodding to the great beast keeping flight beside them.

Fang patted Bahamut's head, "Thought ya acted a bit different mate, but 'pose that's fine too."

Serah's head perked up from behind Fang, the bow that had started her journey gripped tightly in her hands, "What's the plan, Sis?"

Lightning looked at her family, remembering to retain her grip on Odin as they beast pushed further ahead. They all looked at her with hopeful gazes and the thought floated to the surface in her mind, _I brought them all here. _If something goes awry it would be all her fault, putting her family in danger. _I'm the one who sent Noel for Serah and that almost got Serah killed._ She couldn't go through even the thought process of if that happened to anyone of them, it would wreak havoc on her sanity.

_Champion. .the time approaches._

Lightning tensed as Etro's smooth tones wavered through her mind, along with the buzz of magic around her. A bright light made Lightning's eyes snap shut to escape the blinding shine. Cool metal covered her skin as she opened her eyes to find the familiar armor she had donned as a knight.

_For protection. ._

Lightning offered a small prayer of thanks to the goddess she served, acknowledging Etro would do what she could. A hint of a smirk found it's way on her face as she threw out her hand and the magic answered. The weight of her sword materialized into her hand and she grasped the hilt tightly.

A shiver worked it's way down her spine, snapping her head up. A keen wail found her ears and she tossed her head towards the sky. Chaos rained down on the forlorn beach and the destroyed town that accompanied it. Shadows of chaos spiraled from the ground as the wind sent tiny tornadoes of sand to rise. A dark creature took shape in the sky, it's jaws snapping behind Bahamut.

Fang and Bahamut worked seamlessly, cutting through the air to escape Bahamut's dark counterpart. Jet Bahamut zoomed overhead them, it's path clear as it shot towards Bahamut. Lightning was forced to avert her case as shadows started to cling to Odin, making her eidolon veer off their destination.

They army in front of the castle was massive, a force of opposition even she was surprised of. Letting her sword drop and vanish before it hit the sand, she swapped the silver blade for that of Zantesuken. The blades dipped in her hands and she held them to sides, slashing through the shadows easily.

They would never make it through the shadows, whatever form chaos had taken would surely be to the throne soon. . _And we can't let that happen._

"Fang", she yelled, capturing the huntress's annoyed glance as they tried to out fly Jet Bahamut, "Whatever you do, make sure it's past that army!"

She didn't wait for an answer, not when her family was busy outmaneuvering a large flying lizard. Reaching out, she called for the other eidolons' assistance or anything akin to that to wipe out the army of shadows. She was immediately answered as the Shiva sisters burst into existence with a gust of frigid air.

Lightning could feel Vanille's hands digging under the clasps of her armor for a hold as she urged Odin to increase it's pace. There were so many things she wanted to do for the redhead, the simplest being to tell her it was going to be fine, but she couldn't do that. There was no way to ensure that and she was no lier. _Can't fight a battle you're not focusing on Farron._ Lightning blew forcefully out and set her sights ahead as they followed the path the sisters were paving out for them.

A dark figure made it's way past the balcony of the castle, almost taunting her from afar. Lightning's heart rate hit the ceiling, there was no way they could reach it in time with their pace. Allowing her senses to scan Valhalla, she found the one soul she needed for Vanille. Explosions in the distance became closer and closer as the robotic form of Hecatonchier moved towards them. It's guns rotated as it emptied carriages of ammunition, rockets launching from it's form in sync.

Following her wishes, the eidolon plucked Vanille off behind her and earned a shocked reply. Vanille was placed on it's shoulder and Lightning desperately wanted to avoid the accusing glare her lover was sending her.

"Make sure the others make it through?", it was the only coherent sentence she could form, the immense guilt and worry threatening to drown her.

"Be careful", Vanille's green eyes glistened as she pulled out her staff, it's hooks dangling as she prepared to whirl it around.

An idea came to her as she reached down and felt the familiar survival knife strapped in her boot. Grasping it, she tossed the sheathed blade towards her lover, "You too."

Lightning swallowed the emotions down and forced the soldier attitude to replace it, with a nod she willed Odin to shift forms. Following through with the motions, the knight grabbed her hand and then she was flying through the air. The velocity Odin could throw her was amazing, was all that ran through her head as she soared over the reaching shadows. Her cares were pried off as the air sliced through her hair, nothing mattered more than defeating the chaos with her family. With every intent to end it all, she shot like an arrow through time towards the one with the dragoon helm.

They met with a clash, metal screeching against each other. Each one aiming to end the other, forcing the tips of their weapons to slice into the other's skin. Lightning found one thing annoying, she couldn't see his eyes. A spiked dragon curved sharply over the man's eyes and jaw. The man's armor was a dark purple, the hue of the night and his weapon was the spear that was slowly sinking into her flesh. Shoving the tip away from her throat, she lunged at the man to have it miss widely as the man leapt into the air.

She wished Etro had given her a bit more insight as to what was approaching because this opponent was the one thing that Lightning had always had an advantage over, _fast._ He evaded everything she was throwing at him and giving it straight back. She winced as the weapon bit into the skin of her upper arm, swiping her blade up to catch the man's armor. Her blades scratched the surface harmlessly other than a thin line now identifiable.

They broke apart, weapons lowered to their sides as they both adopted a defensive stance. Sizing up their opponent, Lightning's muscles tensing and ready for the next attack. The man's armor reminded her that of Cauis's and Etro knows she didn't want to fight him again. If there were ever a time for her to admit that she couldn't defeat someone, it was with Cauis. They were evenly matched, sometimes one besting the other. Neither willing to quit, their lives on the line because they fought for people other than themselves.

Standing in front of this man, she wondered if he also would prove to be challenging. If the chaos learned from anything, she assumed he would be stronger than it's previous forms. Allowing herself to be in two places at once, Lightning looked over Valhalla, letting time wash over her. A hooded man helping another of white and black, just to betray him many times. A tortured soul, one who couldn't choose his will while another's pressed down. The dragoon who chose to follow in his father's footsteps.

Her senses still alert, warned of an attack and she withdrew from the currents of Valhalla's pull to see the dragoon racing towards her. Knocking the spear away with her shield left him open and Lightning wasted no time driving her blade into the dragoon's side. A hiss of pain sounded as it sunk through the armor before she was pushed away.

"Allowing another to rule you again Highwind?", Lightning taunted, allowing the dragoon's past to become a tool.

The dragoon froze for a moment before standing straighter, "I chose whom to serve."

Sensing the crystal on him, Lightning continued, "Tch, obviously not."

"This is the path I choose warrior, but I understand this is not what you wish to discuss", Kain's hand hovered over his chest before the darkened crystal orb illuminated in his palm, "Do you expect to win?"

Lightning shifted her jaw, her teeth grinding against each other, "I intend to."

"Have you ridden yourself of regret? Look behind you knight of Etro, for it will return", Kain nodded his head and Lightning offered a small glance over her shoulder.

Darkness. It was the only thing that greeted her sight, the lack of color so overwhelmingly difficult to swallow. The army of shadowed creatures were destroying an already worn down town, Jet Bahamut's flames licking the side of the houses. Her family was near the castle getting ambushed from every way. The help of their former eidolons doing nothing to assist with the current situation.

Lightning wanted to beg for help, but in Valhalla the food chain is irreplaceable in chaos and those on top are in control. She had earned her right at the top and called out to Etro's servants, the monstors that once roamed Gran Pulse answering her plight. She offered magic that was a necessity, feeling it dip into her reservoirs. Hearing the various sounds of allies, Lightning turned her attention back to the dragoon.

"Surprising that you would fear so much for others", Highwind's stance was shifting dangerously close to that of an attack position and Lightning's grip on her blade increased tremendously, "You possessed precious energy you would need to stand a chance against besting me, only to waste it."

The sensible have of Lightning knew not to rise to the bait about her family, but the anger-driven soldier that made up her personality snatched at it. Dashing towards Kain before she even processed her own thoughts, Lightning's blade sliced through the air at the dragoon and every fiber of her being focusing on the crystal in his hand.

* * *

Vanille yanked back, the hooks of her staff retracting back into their familiar place. She had never been so happy to see beasts from Gran Pulse, they appeared in rows and all ready for the fight. Fang whooped overhead from atop Bahamut, the pure eidolon having outran it's darker counterpart. The beasts lunged at the shadowed creatures, slicing and ripping through the darkness to their chaotic hearts. The whole place was overran with the screeches of assault and Vanille could detect the sounds of metal clashing against metal above.

Her heart reaching out to Lightning, she placed her knuckles together and dipped her head, praying for her family's safety. Fang's appearance beside her startled her from the prayer and Fang smirked. Turning around, Vanille giggled at Snow's optimistic smile and Serah rolling her eyes.

"Lets see if we can go help Sunshine, yeah?", Fang asked as a pack of Uridummu ran past her and lunged at the shadows.

Vanille nodded and started forward, allowing their allies from Gran Pulse first to take out the creatures of chaos. Entering Etro's resting place last time had been awe-inspiring, but now it took her breath away in an entirely different way. Chaos swarmed the air, residing in any place it could. The chaotic beasts yowls echoed in the halls as the engaged in combat with their pure counterparts. Fang took point, stabbing away merrily at the unsuspecting shadows.

They moved through the halls and staircases until she could hear the sounds of another fight, one more aggressive than the others. Vanille could trace where the battle had started, the balcony's walls all but destroyed. The trail of destruction led them up another flight as the sound of rubble came crashing down. Lightning flew through the wall, skidding to a stop at the base of the stairs.

"Light!"

Lightning was shaking her head, dust floating off as Vanille darted towards her. Vanille couldn't help the laugh that escaped her as she threw her arms around Lightning's neck, Lightning's face of pure surprise. She let go just as rapidly as she had hugged Lightning, running her thumb along a gash on Lightning's face.

"Is everyone alright?", Lightning asked as Vanille offered a hand to pull her up.

Vanille nodded, "Yep! Are you?"

Lightning went rigid and a second later, a figure dropped from above, the ruined walls crumbling under his steps. Vanille felt a prick of annoyance as Lightning stepped in front of her, choosing instead to take a step beside Lightning. The dark figure brushed dirt off his spiked shoulder plates before holding a hand out in front of him, spear situated behind him in his other hand.

"You will lose", Kain snapped his fingers and a rush of chaos followed.

Vanille felt Lightning's arm around her, pulling her to her against the flow of chaos. As the chaos settled, it started to morph back into creatures. The army from outside had now taken the inside. Lightning's blade flashed in the crevices of light as it swept upward before slashing through the beasts. Vanille pressed her back to Lightning's and threw the rod forward, sending the hooks spiraling through the it back, the hooks raked through the beast on it's return.

"Highwind!", Lightning yelled behind her and she felt the soldier's presence disappear as Lightning sprinted towards the dragoon.

* * *

The dragoon was lightly making his way up the steps leading to the throne when Lightning's blade sank into his shoulder. Kain dropped his weight, sinking to the ground before thrusting the spear at her. Swiping it away with her shield, Lightning brought the blade back before stabbing it down. There was a clank as the two weapons met, opposing forces shifting them slightly.

Lightning could feel the weight bearing down on her and instead of knocking his spear away like her instincts told her to do, Lightning pushed back. Not being able to read his reactions by his eyes, Lightning could tell by body language the man was surprised. Dipping her sword under his spear, she flicked her wrist up and the spear came loose. The spear clattered down the steps as Kain lost it's grip and Lightning pointed her blade at him.

"Do not think this is over warrior, this is just the beginning", Kain stated, his words masked with mystery.

Lightning pushed her blade forward threateningly, "How so?"

"What I being, I finish", Kain's words promised just as he had said, more, but Lightning couldn't understand what he planned to do being weaponless.

* * *

Vanille yanked the rod back and chanced a glance towards Lightning, happiness overcoming her when she saw the man was disarmed. Vanille could see Lightning step forward as they were talking, her soldier's aggravation clear on her face. The aggravation turned to confusion as the man answered and that's when he moved.

Vanille couldn't follow the chaotic armor of the man's as he moved towards Lightning, his hand knocking the blade up before kicking Lightning backward. The motion caused Lightning to let go of her blade as she stumbled for leverage. The man wasted no time in driving the blade through the leather over Lightning's stomach and letting the blade hit home.

"No!"

Vanille choked back a sob as the blade pierced through Lightning's back and the accompanied cry of pain. Abandoning her useless staff, she gripped the survival knife and slashed at anything that stood in her way. She couldn't feel the shadowed claws ripping at her skin or hear the terrified yells of Serah for her sister. The one Lightning had called Highwind had his hand firmly on the blades hilt and yanked backward. Lightning jolted with the motion and dropped to her knees without the leverage of the blade holding her up.

Vanille was running now, through the entanglement of limbs to which whom belonged to she didn't know. Jumping past the heaps of Gran Pulse creatures, shadowed and normal alike, to find herself jerked to a halt. She snapped her head up, eyes immediately resting on the crumbling throne. She could feel it, the cease of magic as chaos attacked Etro's resting place. Highwind strode towards the once beautiful thrown, Lightning's blade stained with her own blood. The blade clattered to the floor as it slipped from Kain's grasp. Etro was failing, without the magic, without a knight to guard her sanctuary.

"Mistakes must be atoned for", the dragoon spoke clearly, as if he hadn't just ran Lightning through, depositing the chaotic crystal onto the throne.

The chaos swirled, splaying out inside the crystal before it seeped into the throne. The ground rumbled, the throne's outer crystal cracking and shattering. Darkness crept up the throne's sides and Highwind stood faithfully by it. Vanille shivered, a sensation she had come to dread flowing through her. Raising her hand to her face, the glittering crystal shined brightly against her skin. Fang's yell of anger made her look up as the huntress darted through the shadows towards the dragoon. Vanille realized Fang knew, their time was just cut in half and the huntress wasn't going down with a fight.

"Serah!"

Vanille spun around to see Serah drop to the floor, her eyes alight with Etro's blazing symbol. The large man didn't seem to notice his own arms becoming transparent as he shook the younger Farron. Hope sinking to one knee beside Snow, his voice urgent when explaining he didn't know what was happening. Noel's body surpassed Snow's transformation, his entire being becoming hazy. The breath caught in her throat, _It's. . all coming undone._ Everything they had accomplished was unraveling.

Looking up, she caught Lightning's eyes as the knight pushed off to her feet. Hunched over, Lightning's gaze affirmed her suspicions, they were losing. Vanille wanted to run to Lightning, pull the soldier close to her, but her feet stayed rooted to the spot. She glanced at her feet, crystal already overlapping itself and keeping her still. Returning her sight on Lightning, she tensed when she saw Lightning stumbling towards her sword. It became a makeshift cane as the soldier steadied herself with it.

Vanille pleaded in her mind for Lightning to just stop, to just drop the blade as Lightning moved forward. Staggering towards Kain, the gunblade's tip dragged across the ground. The dragoon turned around, a short laugh escaping him as he looked at Lightning.

"I see that you will not fall so easily", another breathy chuckle as he disarmed Lightning, the blade flipping over itself before it stabbed into the ground.

Vanille cried out when Lightning was grabbed by the throat and lifted off the ground, her legs searching for some sort of hold. Silence greeted her ears, even though the air was still filled with the growls of creatures fighting, Snow's desperate yells, Noel's confused questions, Fang's angry curses; Vanille could hear none of it.

"An impressive will that never wavers, that is all you're left with. Do you not understand, all those who challenge me fail", his grip tightened as Lightning gasped for air, her bloodied hands prying for relief.

Lightning's eyes darted towards her and Vanille found herself shaking her head, knowing the look of apology on Lightning face. Then a smile, matching the love projecting from Lightning's azure eyes. Vanille's heart sank at the dread filling her, at the crystal rising at her waist.

Kain narrowed his eyes as Lightning's bore into his, the light that had become dim in the blue eyes now returning. Grabbing at the offending limb around her throat, Lightning forced her body to listen. Commanding her legs, she kicked her heels straight into the dragoon's chest, sending him reeling back from the unexpected action. Lightning reached for the throne, her hand encircling the chaotic crystal. Lightning choked back a gasp as the chaos ran through her, forcing it down and instead replacing it with Etro's pure magic. The chaos tainting the throne started to slowly recede.

_I'm sorry. ._

Vanille stood in shock as Lightning held onto the crystal, feeling the crystal encircling her start to dissipate. Feeling a sensation overcome her, she determined it. Falling, she was falling.

An explosion of starch white invaded her vision.

**Author's Note**

The end? Na, just kidding, I had intended for this to be the last. . but I just don't have the heart. I know that Kain wasn't actually evil or anything, that he was just brainwashed. I liked the idea of him vs Lightning, it seemed like two knights going at it. Also, I've been playing Dissidia 012, it's like a shippers paradise. XD Read and Review


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights to those brilliant people at Square Enix**

It paralyzed her senses, leaving her numb to the world and it's accompanied surroundings. Only when she felt armor brushing her skin did her mind finally catch up. Snapping her eyes open, her eyes searched for a pair of electric blues.

Vanille's heart plummeted when her feet touched the ground as she was lowered to the sand. The eidolon shifted and stood, it's armor cracked from taking the blunt of the blast. Not able to form coherent words, she watched as their previous eidolons all set the former L'Cie down. Returning her gaze to the white knight, Vanille received a nod before the eidolon seemed to disappear with the wind, it's body becoming thinner than dust. Judging from the others' gasp, she assumed the other eidolons had vanished as well.

Hope finally broke the silence as they all shuffled on the sand, "What's. .what's going on?"

Silence.

What else had the director expected when he asked the question? Some miraculous answer as to why they were on Valhalla's beach, missing one very important person? Vanille's hands answered to the tension in her arms, her nails digging into the skin of her palm as they formed fists. She took a step forward, prepared to yell. Scream until her voice broke, shout until her throat was raw. Anything to point out this injustice to Etro, to Lightning, to _her_. She had just got Lightning and now she was ripped away? No, she wouldn't, couldn't, stand for it.

Just in midstep, Vanille was thrown off balance, the land underfoot shaking. A sound akin to thunder rumbling in the distance and then the whistling of winds. Her hair lashed out in front of her eyes, filling her vision with flaming red. Similar to a rock dropping into water, the beach shook with another ripple of sound. Looking to the sky, Vanille had thought it dark before, but now. . now, it had defined the whole meaning of darkness.

A clock's chime.

Another sonic boom and the lingering shadows were sent reeling away. Any loitering beasts that had aided their fight chorused in sounds together before taking off towards the castle. Another gust of wind sent Vanille stumbling for a hold. Serah grasped her arm, keeping her rooted to the ground. Pure white energy shot forth from the castle and soared through the skies, slashing through chaos. The earth shook as another chime reverberated in the air and Vanille's breath caught in her throat as the castle in the distance vanished from view.

Staring forward, Vanille squinted her eyes and noticed cracks appearing in the land before it too disappeared. The cracks ran across the landscape, shattering through the ground and sending the rest of the expanse into pure darkness. The chaos contrasting greatly with the lights dancing through the air overhead.

The crevices ran towards them and all Vanille could do was cling to Serah as the earth underneath them gave way. She screamed, but she doubted anyone could hear her over their own terror. Her body collided with something hard before her awareness came crashing down.

* * *

The first thing Vanille noticed as her consciousness gradually returned to her? The sound of waves, water crashing against the land, pounding continuously at the sand. Slowly, her eyes pried open to reveal a dark sky overhead. Biting back a groan, Vanille shifted, trying to gain the feeling back in her legs. _Valhalla?_ Blinking, she squinted her eyes and realized it wasn't the darkness that accompanied Valhalla's skies, it was a nighttime sky. The stars glittering overhead confirmed her thoughts, she never saw stars in Valhalla. _Then. ._

Pushing herself up, Vanille brushed the fine layer of sand that had accumulated on her arms. Putting her arms back down, her hands brushed fabric at her side. Glancing down, her eyes adjusting to the pitch black of the night, she could make out Fang's outline. Looking around, she could see the others all sprawled out in some fashion and coming to as they shook their heads.

Ahead she could see what reminded her of Oerba. A small cluster of houses ran alongside at the bottom of a cliff, creating dense village. Beside them lay a dingy pier, looking as if it was built rapidly. That's when she caught sight of a man running towards them, his bright red mohawk bouncing with every step.

Her eyes widened with realization, her memory awakening to the people in Eden before Orphan's fall. Gadot, that was his name, and Vanille recalled that he was Snow's friend. She must have been correct because Snow leapt up and immediately threw an arm around the man. Vanille didn't bother to stand as the others got up to join Snow in his reunion.

Gazing over the waters, she couldn't help the 'what ifs' that surfaced in her thoughts. What if she hadn't let Lightning out of her sight? What if she had helped fight alongside her against Kain? What if she hadn't awakened from crystal at all if she was just going to suffer more?

Her mind shifted away from the questions, knowing it would only lead to more confusion. Instead, it focused on one question, _where is she?_ Vanille sat and watched the water, the question on her mind until an arm pulled her up and along to a house. She let the younger pinkette drag her to what she only could assume was her home, not caring enough to ask.

Lebreau stood at the counter, wiping glasses with a towel when she spotted them. The barsmaid dropped the glasses, making Vanille wince with the shatter, and all but tackled Serah and Snow. Forcing Lebreau to calm down, the rest of the NORA gang bombarded them with questions. Vanille didn't listen to any of it, not until Serah asked her own question.

"What's happened?"

Lebreau laid the broom against the wall from sweeping up the glass shards, "Well, you left with Noel to find your sister, right? Not too long after Snow did. Those two were crystal, until now, I guess and I don't exactly know who that silver haired guy is."

Hope stood up, "So nothing has happened since the fall? No weird occurrences?"

"Not that I know of, other than the fact that they aren't in the crystal. I thought crystal lasted awhile, not just four years. You guys are quick", Gadot joked, but the large man stopped when Vanille turned to face him.

Snow perked up from beside Serah, "It's only been four years since the fall?"

"Yeah, you left about two years ago and Serah left maybe a year ago", Maqui answered, his blonde hair shaking as he nodded.

Vanille glanced at Serah when she felt the younger pinkette's eyes on her, "Have you guys- I mean, is my sister here?"

Lebreau hesitated, her dark eyes darting between them, "No, I thought that was the reason you left. ."

Hearing all that she wanted, Vanille stood up and walked past the others to step outside, ignoring the silence that fell when she moved. Her feet took her past the sand, past the creaky beginnings of the pier, all the way to the end of the pier. Only then did she drop down, pulling her knees to her chest and felt the weight pulling down on her heart. The numbness she had felt was beginning to dissolve, leaving the sick realization that everything was for nothing in the end.

A hand on her shoulder jolted her from her reverie, instinct making her jump. She offered a small smile to Serah, but it faded away quickly. Serah sat down beside her, swinging her legs over the edge so they could dangle in the air.

"You remember when you told me Lightning wouldn't leave us?"

Vanille looked up, startled from the random question, ". .Yep."

Serah hummed, her blue eyes narrowing as she thought, "She's not. . . I don't think she's dead. I mean, I think I would be able to tell-like have a feeling, don't you think?"

Vanille sighed, swinging her feet over the cloudy waters and seeing the reflection of the stars gazing back at her. Pushing past the feelings of Lightning missing, Vanille pondered whether or not the soldier was still alive. Gripping the dock underneath her fingers, Vanille tilted her head, she thought she would know if Lightning had died.

"And, if Claire's not dead, then there's nothing to stop her from coming back, right?", Serah asked, the blues in her eyes shining brightly and Vanille thought she saw the flash of a tear run down the younger Farron's face.

Vanille choked back a laugh and possibly a sob, feeling utterly ridiculous, she nodded to Serah, "I guess she's never let anythin' get in her way before."

Serah's smile brightened considerably from her reply and pulled the redhead up, "Lets get some sleep and then we'll figure what we're going do in the morning, 'kay?"

"Sure and. .thanks Serah", Vanille turned around as she walked past the pinkette, giving her a thumbs up.

Serah didn't reply except for a smile as they walked into the house, only pausing long enough to look at the cold stars above.

* * *

She felt it before she had heard it.

A pulse running through the ground and shortly after followed by the thunderous peal of a clock.

Shooting up, Vanille was now alert to the various sounds penetrating the sleepy calm that had settled over the room. Howls pierced the early morning skies, accompanying the cacophony of clock chimes. Scrambling over the sleeping bodies of her friends, she yanked open the door and was greeted to the sight of hordes of Gran Pulse beasts.

Gripping the doorframe for support as another bell rumbled the ground, Vanille watched in awe as the creatures materialized on the beach, before running off towards the hills. Bellows were released as the animals seemed to be rejoicing with another as they sprinted to the plains. Time was distorted in the air above the pier, the scene seemingly swirling.

It became eerily silent as the beasts stopped appearing in front of the rotating portal. Vanille briefly glanced over her shoulder as she felt fabric brush her arm to meet the dark blues of Serah's eyes. Her eyes displayed confusion as they traced the creatures of Gran Pulse past the hills. Vanille's mind clicked that they were the beast Lightning had called upon to help them against the chaos.

_They found their way home._

Vanille's eyebrows raised when Serah gripped her arm, the youngest Farron's nails digging into her skin. The hold increased as Serah shook her arm and pointed back to the pier. Air rushed into her chest as her mind processed the glowing figures stepping from the paradox. They lightly glided down, color washing over their bodies as their feet hit the ground.

Vanille forced her knees not to buckle and send her crashing to the ground.

Sazh and Alyssa looked around, confusion etched clearly on their faces. A sigh behind her and the grip on her arm was released as Serah walked past her. Guilt trickled down, she still be happy that Sazh is here, not wishing it was someone different.

Sazh jogged towards them, sand spraying from the movement. Vanille couldn't help the smile on her face when Dajh's head popped up from behind his father's. The grin on Sazh's face matched it as the others piled out of the bar.

"Guess you guys did it again, huh?", Sazh asked, his deep brown eyes glittering happily.

Snow stretched and gave him a lopsided smile, "Y'know the heroes always win, don'tcha old man?"

Sazh shook his head, deflecting the jab, "Keep messing with me and I'll get soldier girl to kick your as-. . butt."

Dajh giggled at his father's comment and Vanille found that her smile wasn't all entirely forced. Sazh glanced around, his eyes darting over the people gathered on the sand.

"Soldier girl not here yet?"

Serah jumped at Sazh's words, "What do you mean yet, Sazh?"

Vanille's mind had drifted from the conversation as time swirling in the portal started producing a bright light. Specks of light gravitated towards the center, making an outline. She knew that figure, she knew those blue eyes slowly gaining color.

She didn't care that Sazh was explaining how Lightning came and found them, or that the paradox evaporated into thin air. Her only thoughts were the kneeling figure on the pier.

She ran as fast as she could towards those blue eyes. Her feet sank into the sand with every step, making the sprint difficult. Tears welling up in her eyes threatened to blur her eyesight and get her a face full of sand if she fell. Her feet found purchase on the wooden boards of the pier.

Vanille was slightly glad Lightning had risen in time, or she would've tackled the soldier into the water. She crashed onto Lightning, the uniform's fabric rough against her skin. Her mouth opened and closed, her vocal chords refusing to obey to any command. It wasn't important anyway. The only important fact was that Lightning was here, was home, and that she was holding her tightly.

Vanille thought she heard a whispered, "I love you", but it was forgotten as Lightning was assaulted by the waves of people.

Serah had lost all hope for emotional control and was bawling as she threw her arms around her sister's neck. Snow seemed to have forgotten who he was and thought he would pick both the Farrons up for a hug.

Fang chuckled beside her, "What took ya so long Sunshine?"

Lightning eyes narrowed at Fang, a smile gracing her face as she took a place beside Vanille. Vanille wrapped her arms around Lightning's waist, appreciating the arm around her shoulders in return.

"Valhalla is once again at peace, there is only enough chaos to ensure balance", Lightning stated as she briefly met all of their eyes.

Hope nudged sand with his foot, his curiosity sparked, "Mind explaining what happened?"

Lightning clicked her tongue, "Their was enough energy to push the chaos out of the throne and the crystal. The balance was already shattered by that point though, the world had to be born anew. That was why the world was shattering before I sent you here. The portals were closing, there wasn't anytime to waste while I got Sazh and Alyssa."

"What about Kain?", Serah paused briefly to glance at Lightning's stomach, "Are you okay?"

"Kain was the chaos's form and he dispersed once balance was restored", Lightning pushed the jacket away from her abdomen to show a jagged pink scar running across it before dropping her hand, "I suppose the Goddess gave one last gift. I'm fine."

Lebreau clapped her hands, "That settles it, anyone up for drinks?"

The others didn't bother to point out drinking in the morning wouldn't leave them anywhere to go tonight, unless they would just be drinking all day. The group slowly made their way back to the bar, leaving the two standing on the pier.

Vanille gave Lightning a smile before tugging the soldier down so there eyes met, "Ask for help next time."

"Yes ma'am", Lightning nodded and Vanille's resolve threatened to crumble at the grin she received.

Vanille leaned forward and pressed on Lightning's jacket, feeling the edges of the scar, "I'm serious."

Lightning pressed her lips against hers, "So am I."

They held each other for a moment before Vanille felt Lightning's lips brush against her head, "Want to join the others?"

Vanille nodded and they took their time walking to the bar.

Her stomach grew uneasy as she thought about how close she was to losing this. How could anyone survive in a world that was full of chaos, not only the literal chaos they had fought against, but just the natural destructions of the world? It seemed life wouldn't be worth living if life was on the line all the time.

Vanille paused in her thoughts momentarily when Lightning smiled at her, the soldier's white teeth becoming visible.

_There are some exceptions to all the chaos though._

* * *

**Author's Note**

Lightning's Theme :Unguarded Future is playing and it seems so fitting.

:O It's done. Like I'm so freaking sad, I don't think you guys understand. I don't think I did this story the justice it deserves, but I also don't feel that it was a terrible story.

I was thinking about doing just a story depicting the daily life of Lightning and Vanille because I've never seen one with them (if there is, please let me know, I would love to read it). If you guys think I should tell me, or if you have any prompt ideas let me know! Also if anyone would be willing to draw Chaotic Exception (seems late to ask now) or if I do this idea for a story, a cover because I really hate the one I picked. xD

I really appreciate everyone who read this, even if you read a chapter and was fed up with it. I know my updating schedule was terrible and I apologize. Thanks everyone.

Read and Review :D


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